Cyclists with cameras

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rf_fozzy Feb 2011 5:13pm, 2 Feb 2011 757 posts	0 rf_fozzy Re:Helmets - bbc.co.uk Oh no, it might mess my hair up if I wear a helmet. Trust me if you have an accident, not wearing one will mess up your head. Which is worse?
parkbench Feb 2011 6:17pm, 2 Feb 2011 1,045 posts	0 parkbench Another bone of contention is Paperboys (no not PAPER boys, but REAL boys who deliver newspapers). Surely it is the responsibilty of their employer (i.e. the newsagent) to ensure that they have lights on their bikes ? Whether an employer provides safety equipment or not, they are responsible to ensure that their employees USE any safety equipment required. You would think that they would employ a similar rule to buiding sites (no boots, no hat, no job), where it was no lights, no brakes, no job. However, that would require them to actually give a f*ck...
Bumblebee1984 Feb 2011 5:53pm, 7 Feb 2011 23 posts	0 Bumblebee1984 Something i saw on the news the other morning, and to be honest one of the reasons i rarely ride alone. I rode 10 miles to visit my grandparents and had two near misses, one where i was indicating i was turning right, and a car flew past as i was moving across, he hadnt been there 10 sec earlier when i checked on a straight section of road, and another car then pulled out infront of me crossing a roundabout. One of the girls from my club was knocked off her bike on an a road, a good couple of miles either way to civilisation a few months back while getting the ironman miles in. She ended up on a tiny grass verge, she waved the driver back, but they sped off. I dont know how much use a camera would be when drivers attitudes need changing/they need educating. They wonder why so few women take up road cycling, its one thing going out for a ride in a group (and recieving abuse for riding 2 abreast) but to ride alone, with the risk of hit and run/mechanical problems (I know should be able to fix it if gonna ride it) sometimes feels like madness. As for the points about hi viz/lights. I agree that people should be using and realising they need to use these. And to go without a helmet is just plain stupid. But as pointed out thats a persons choice and they only endanger themselves with that. Having to swerve in the car to give people space because you havent seen them in poor light/rain/the dark/fog is not fair on the car driver, and a cyclist not making themselves visable has no right to shout abuse at other road users who cant see them. Ahwell, cant wait for light early mornings, with hardly any cars.. Missing my 4am rides. Wish i had the confidence to ride more.
parkbench Apr 2011 8:56pm, 7 Apr 2011 1,056 posts	0 parkbench I got knocked of my bike once, long before I started triathlon. Some lad decided to follow his mate around a corner, right in my path and I hit his car and went over the top. No real damage, although there is a thickening of the muscle above my left knee ('take the pain away, but leave the swelling'). Whilst I was lying in the road, waiting for an ambulance, I rang the Mrs up on my mobile phone. I said 'I was going to be late home'. She said 'Well, your tea will be burnt', then hung up. Nice.
DeeGee Apr 2011 10:24pm, 7 Apr 2011 8,779 posts	0 DeeGee I think paper boys are legally self-employed PB. Hence how they can work for so much less than minimum wage.
DeeGee Apr 2011 10:32pm, 7 Apr 2011 8,780 posts	0 DeeGee Back to the point about Helmet Cameras. This fella, gaz545, http://www.youtube.com/user/gaz545 is doing everyone a favour. Yes, he picks up when motorists drive dangerously, but he also has a regular compilation of dangerous cycling. He'll even put up videos to show what mistakes he's made. He's not averse to yelling at other cyclists to get lights on, either. I regularly watch his silly cyclists films as I hope that will make me a safer cyclist myself.
The pilotlight Apr 2011 10:59pm, 7 Apr 2011 3,110 posts	0 The pilotlight something I have noticed is if you turn your head right 90 degrees as if looking when you hear a car approaching, they will normally give you a wider berth, sometime to do with sub-conscious brain reacting to 1-1 eye contact, even though, you don't actually do so. try it it works.
Meglet Apr 2011 8:09am, 8 Apr 2011 7,008 posts	0 Meglet I do that. And when running too. It's also reassuring if you can see them moving out. I'm rather glad I don't have to drive in heavy city traffic though.
Frobester Apr 2011 8:13am, 8 Apr 2011 13,474 posts	0 Frobester Good on him, DeeGee. I encounter far too many cyclists with either no lights on, or no reflective clothing on.
Yorkshire Pie Apr 2011 8:23am, 8 Apr 2011 8,341 posts	0 Yorkshire Pie Yes, I've found that. Sometimes I struggle to do arm signals before turning, if I'm braking etc, but I find that a good look behind me seems to mean the driver waits to see what I'm going to do before attempting to overtake. Not all the time, but it does help.