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Cycle-cam shames drivers on YouTube
Mark Prigg, Science Correspondent20.02.08
London cyclists are investing in helmet-mounted cameras to record their daily commute, so they have video evidence against careless drivers if they are knocked off and hurt.
A website selling the cameras, which cost between £80 and £500, said sales had tripled in the last year.
Increasing numbers of angry cyclists have uploaded clips to video sharing sites such as YouTube in a bid to shame offending drivers.
"We originally started selling these to snowboarders and mountain bikers," said Sab Jhooti of www.actioncameras.co.uk. "However, we found people have been using them to record their ride into work, and cyclists now account for the bulk of our sales."
The small cameras clip onto a rider's helmet. To view the footage cyclists put a memory card into a PC or connect the camera via a cable.
Andy Barrett, 36, a software engineer who commutes from Heathrow to Staines every day, has worn a helmet camera for almost two years. "It gives me a sense of security. I've uploaded almost 60 videos of my incidents to YouTube," he said.
CLICK BELOW TO SEE SOME OF THE CYCLISTS' CLOSE SHAVES ON LONDON'S ROADS
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Reader views (26)
Here's a sample of the latest views published. You can click view all to read all views that readers have sent in.
"In the first clip,why was he trying to force through a gap that was too thin? He is as bad as the car driver."
Maybe because in the first clip the bicycle had the right of way over the oncoming traffic who were passing cars parked in their lane? When they saw him coming, they all should have given way, instead they played 'follow the leader'.
- Brian, York, UK
The videos posted to this page are very tame, I actually came home one day with a cars wing mirror (the whole unit) stuck to the webbing of my rucksack after being clipped - the driver didn't stop.
There's no mention here of all the car drivers that still drive while using mobile phones and moving across two lanes and back to answer a call, or people staring at their phones trying to do a text message while doing 40.
Hands up all the car drivers who posted to this topic that use a mobile phone whilst driving (not hands free, but normally?) you going to admit it?
Daily, I see people steering the car with their knees while doing make up or shaving and people reading newspapers with little or no regard for what's on the road.
- Matt, Midlands
Helmet cameras are great, brilliant for improving your own road craft as you can get your mates to comment on how better to deal with a specific junction for example. They're also great for putting in complaints to companies when a liveried car is driven badly. How embarrassing must that be to be called in to see the transport manager, and have your poor driving viewed by the both of you?
I do this for the next cyclists that driver will meet - this sort of action will do much to improve the driving of people when they realise there are consequences to their thoughtless actions.
For those making the standard red light jumping comments, as a cyclist and driver I don't approve either, and I'm not in the minority based on the cyclists on my commute. I'll bet you aren't aware that an RAC study found that 1 in 5 bus drivers and 1 in 10 car drivers go through red lights in London. Now that is *really* shocking, because that's lethally irresponsible behaviour. I'd be willing to bet that more drivers would go through reds if the vehicle in front wasn't blocking them either. Regardless, I'd love to see police enforcing the law for both drivers and cyclists.
- Mike, London, UK
