Best mounting direction for one camera?
 

If you only had one camera for recording road traffic incidents (as opposed to 'action cam' footage), what would be the best mounting position?

I'm leaning more towards a rear-facing camera as most of the bad driving occurs behind, when cars pass by far too close to me. A helmet-mounted camera would be my second choice and a forward-facing camera mounted on the handlebar would be my third choice.

However, I'm interested in other people's opinions.

I have a helmet cam. I also ride with a take-a-look mirror. When I see someone drive too close behind me I turn my head and look back and then they are on camera. If they are too close to me on the side I turn my head and they are on camera.

There are plenty of cheap action cams out there now, and even better values if you consider pre-owned. You could just buy a cheap inexpensive action cam and mount it facing backwards. If you fond it useful you can buy a better one later.

I tried a cheap rear facing action cam a couple of years ago and decied it wasn't worth it for me, although I live and ride in low-traffic areas.

I did catch this though...

Forward.

What is the chance I'm going to have or be in an accident, compared to my chance of seeing someone else have an accident?

Rear.. Front camera will rarely be at a proper angle to catch plates. Besides that most of my close calls are buzzes from the rear.

Helmet mounted; facing forward.

If you want to use statistics to maximize your chances of catching an accident, put your camera on the front. If you're using the fear factor to locate your camera, put it on the back.


Most people are most afraid of car running them over from behind, but that's a small fraction of accidents.

360 degree google sphere

My one camera is usually facing forward, either on my road bike's stem or my helmet when riding my hybrids.

But I should get a rear facing camera. Most incidents when I've been struck by vehicles while riding my bicycle or motorcycle were from behind, usually at stop signs or traffic lights. I've had many close calls and near misses from the front, but most of the actual strikes have been from behind. In every case the driver claimed they didn't see me, even when I was riding a rather large motorcycle.

Offhand the only impacts I can recall from the front occurred many years ago, both in 1978 in Washington DC:

• A driver in the opposite lane at a four way stop sign intersection turned in front of me and I landed on the hood of her car. I'd made eye contact before proceeding but she claimed she didn't see me.
• A limo doored me near the US government buildings district. The ambassador or diplomat who doored me wasn't very diplomatic in his response to my bicycle inconsiderately scratching his limo.

Camera placement has nothing to do with fear... It's going to be a rider decision based on their environment. In my case I have it mounted on the rear and it has absolutely nothing to do with fear.

I ride 30-50 miles a day, 6 days a week and it all mainly in medium to heavy city traffic. My guess, for my riding environment, and based on what I encounter daily is that 80% of my close calls are from rear approaching vehicles.

Cars driving in the bike lane, buzzing, ect. I rarely have instances with vehicles to the front and when I do its a left hook. A front mounted camera will probably not record the plate of a left hooking vehicle..

Don't assume people using a rear mounted camera are terrified of their own shadow........

after some reflection I really like helmet mounting with the camera angled toward the oncoming traffic, meaning not looking straight back but rather aimed at the traffic overtaking me

looking back



looking forward



jokers squirting water at me while cycling. 1 in front seat, 1 in back seat. this was planned waaaay in advance. this clip is good, but sure would like to have a 2nd video of the same incident facing backward. skip to :45 (in a Cadillac, no less)

For those advocating helmet-mounted cameras, which cameras work well for you?

Currently experimenting with a Polaroid CUBE:
Used to have a ContourGPS:
Also had an earlier GoPro; Hero 960:

mine is OK. it's kind of goofy looking tho. (yeah I care) so lately I use it on my bars looking forward. but with it pointed backwards at overtaking traffic I think the drivers get the idea pretty quick they are no longer anonymous!

https://i.imgur.com/oouLgnXm.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/n9FyftAm.jpg

Polaroid XS100 Extreme Edition HD 1080p 16MP Waterproof Sports Action Video Camera With Full Mounting Kit Included
https://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-Extr.../dp/B00A81SXHI

what I like
- waterproof, no additional housing required
- easily unclips so I can do some hand holding stuff then clip it back on to continue
- compact design is useful in other settings like on my car dash, horseback riding, fits in a pocket, or hanging from a kite (yes really)
- great battery life
- nice assortment of still picture settings
- native (.MOV) file format is MAC compatible so it's easy to edit clips on my MAC

what I don't like
- takes a continuous clip, so if I want a series of shorter clips I have to hit the switch to stop & start while riding
- native (.MOV) file format is MAC compatible which means I can watch videos on my Windows computers but I can't hear the audio until I upload them to youtube (or of course watch on my MAC) I'm on my Windows computers more so I don't edit them
- not great in low light

Ion Speed Pro. Good value, around $50-$75.

It's shaped pretty much like rumrunn6's Polaroid -- I think that model Polaroid is manufactured by Ion to Polaroid's specs.

Weatherproof as-is, no special housing needed, as long as the rear cap with O-ring is in place. It's been through several downpours, no problems.

Runs 90 minutes per charge. To run longer I remove the weatherproof rear cap and plug in a USB cable to a battery. This compromises the weatherproof integrity, so I can do this only in good weather.

Saves to mp4. Each file is about 40 minutes, with a seamless transition between files (ideally -- there are occasional quirks).

The ultra-wide lens with 180 degree FOV isn't optimal for traffic documentation. It's intended to be a close range action cam. For traffic documentation I'd prefer around 120 degree FOV. At 180 FOV with a 5mp resolution, it's difficult to make out license plate details even in daylight unless I'm right on the vehicle's bumper.

Keep in mind that many sample videos on YouTube demonstrating traffic documentation cams are taken in Europe, where license plates are larger and easier to record. It's much more difficult to record US plates, especially in Texas where the black on white lettering is excessively contrasty, especially at night.

Daylight image quality is very good -- snappy color and contrast without excess. Auto-exposure shifts rapidly without fluttering, to accommodate moving between light and shadow. Low light is fair, nighttime is mediocre. At night it has high noise, poor dynamic range, and cannot reliably record white reflective Texas license plates. For nighttime use, at best it will record the basic shape and color of the vehicle and just enough details to help with identification. So far the only altercation I've reported was a Domino's delivery driver who hooked me on a left turn at an intersection at night. The video had enough detail to identify the driver. (I only asked the safety rep to reinforce courtesy training, not to fire the driver, since there was no physical or verbal conflict, just rude driving. That incident occurred in an area with lots of cyclists.)

It will also record still photos. I typically fall back on time lapse mode after the battery gets low enough that it won't record video. I set time lapse to every 5 seconds, the smallest available interval. The intervalometer offers every 10 seconds and slower/longer increments, which I've used at home a few times to create time lapse videos of passing storms, etc.

I rigged up a homebrewed mount using the supplied car mount shoe, to get it lower on the helmet. Used heavy duty plastic Velcro tape and zip ties to secure it, along with the supplied safety leash retainer.

On the road bike I use the supplied plastic mount that clamps onto the stem, handlebar, etc.

Eventually I plan to add a rear facing camera.