This morning on my regular Saturday training ride I almost got hit by a truck. I came to a 4-way intersection with one of those roundabout and out of the corner of my eye I notice this full-size truck approaching the circle from my right. I have the right of way since I'm already in the roundabout and there are "Yield" signs posted... but this guy shows no signs of stopping. Knowing that whether or not I'm right if I get hit I'm going to lose anyway, I decide to stop as quickly as I could. The truck driver sees me at the last minute, jams on the brakes, and skids a few feet before coming to a full stop a few feet from me. I point to the "Yield" sign, but all I get in response is both the driver and a passenger making angry gestures and signaling for me to get off the road. I got angry and almost flipped them off, but kept my cool and pedaled away. It's just not worth it stepping down to the level of some people.

I normally do this ride with my family, but one of my kids had to work, the other is swamped with college homework, and my wife had to skip the ride, so I was alone.

I've been seriously thinking on getting either a GoPro or a Garmin VIRB and mounting it on either my helmet or my chest so I can have more control on where I point the camera. I'm thinking that if perhaps drivers see that they are being recorded they'll be a little more civilized, although with Florida being full of morons on trucks I'm not so sure. (Yes this is only one instance, but a see plenty of morons on trucks and SUVs on my way to work everyday.)

Is any one using a camera as sort of a "safety device" while out training? What are you using and/or what woud you recommend?

Thank you.

You'll probably get more responses in A&S.

Rang your bike bell of course?

Maybe:

Mods, posted the message on A&S; please feel free to close/delete this thread.

Thank you.

I personally don't see the need to wear a camera all the time but if you're in an area with lots of bad drivers or lots of traffic where incidents between you and a driver can arise, I can see it making sense to have one. I've never really considered a camera BUT mounting it to your chest usually doesn't show a very good picture. Especially on a road bike, you may be in a tuck so it may not be pointing very far ahead and in either case, I would think you would get a narrow field of vision on it since your arms will be on either side if chest mounted. Helmet mounted would be the way to go I think.

If they don't see a guy on a bike wearing florescent spandex then how are they going to see a guy on a bike wearing florescent spandex and a tiny camera?

It might be good as evidence after the fact but I don't see a camera as a safety device at all.

On the Today Show some years ago there was a segment on these riders on the Pacific Coast Highway in California that were deliberately flicked by a driver. They were clearly riding on the shoulder. The camera caught the license plate and the driver was caught. That made whatever the rider spent on the equipment worth it.

I've seen numerous people on the forum say they feel like they get more respect when they clearly have a camera, a few videos where someone (sometimes a cop) was clearly getting belligerent then they realized they were on camera and backed off and acted more civilized, and police body cameras seem to reduce both cop abuse but also suspects trying to pull something.

I don't have a quick link to it, but someone had a video riding their recumbent where a guy in a pickup truck passes, stops in front them, gets out and comes back, and you're not sure if he's going to try to fight him or what, but the rider turns his camera to make it obvious the guy is being recorded, and the guy turns and get back in his truck.

I definitely think it's a safety device.

Having a Gopro wont stop you from getting hit. Even though you had the right away, you need to ride more defensively and anticipate that drivers may not always give you the right a way even though you are entitled to it. When coming to an intersection, always try to make eye contact with a driver and be ready to break regardless. I usually use a hand gesture to get a cars attention so they see I'm in the road and not planning on stopping. Even though we have the right a way, we are harder to be seen and need to be defensive and not assume they will give the road.

The camera isn't to protect you. It's to protect your estate.

I guess you have a point. It could help when confronted.

Both of the stories you recount are face to face. I still don't think it is going to help when the antagonist is in a car and both the motorist and cyclist are in traffic at speed.

As another stated, I don't think it will prevent you from getting hit.

In person examples lend themselves better to showing cause and effect (the camera causing them to change their behavior).

Of course a camera is not a magic talism that keeps you from getting hit.

But while you could be hit by anybody, the drivers I'm most concerned about are the bottom 10% of drivers.
- The kind who's to busy texting, talking on the phone, and changing the radio to pay attention to the road.
- The kind of thinks it's "funny" to pass you real close or yell or throw something at you as they go by.
- The kind that has the built up rage problem that they want to take out on someone.

In my experience, all of these people become more attentive and considerate when you noticeably raise the odds that their behavior will get them caught and in trouble with the cops. The kind of person who had a rage problem suddenly considers you a bad target because they'll be on video. The kind of person who thinks it's "funny" to harass you on the road suddenly doesn't feel like doing it when they realize everything they're doing is being recorded. The kind of person who's "to busy to pay attention" suddenly feels like paying more attention when an "accident" is being recorded and they would clearly be held at fault if their inattentiveness led to an accident.

Like I said, is it a magic talism that protects you from harm? Absolutely not. But it has been my experience that the kind of personality who's the driver I'm the most worried about, becomes noticeably more well behaved and law abiding when they know they can't later talk their way out of it and claim it didn't happen the way it did.

I wish I had a camera during my last car-vs-bike collision. I got hit pretty hard and don't remember what happened. Concussion.

Now if most cyclists had cameras recording on their rides, that would get to be common knowledge and we'd all be safer out there.

IIRC, one of the video cameras out there also has a laser sight, that might be worth shining onto somebody's car and/or passenger compartment to get their attention...