Why I got a helmet cam and use it all the time.

[The Mad King Pepe']

This was about to start as a thread-jack here http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=52760.0 (Got cutoff and dragged by a prius) but I'm an attention whore so I decided to start my own thread and if you try to jack it I'll come bite you in the knees!

I commute through DC and while most drivers are courteous and careful some aren't (at least not both things at the same time). I've had more than a few close calls on the bike and also a couple car accidents where I've had to deal with dishonest people. I've seen people swerve between lanes, run lights and nearly hit pedestrians while talking, texting, eating, and reading. I obviously do not expect the helmet camera to help save my life, that's what ATGATT is for. But I think $200 is a good investment into something that might help deal with the aftermath of an accident (Insurance, Lawyers and $$$). If there are no witnesses to the actual accident other than me and the other person, then it's pretty much my version against theirs... and I'm a biker so I'm already at a disadvantage (thanks to crotch/rice rockets and harleys of course  )!

Another positive part of riding with a helmet cam is that it serves as further motivation to respect the laws. If there is an accident then all my riding will be under scrutiny (there ain't no such thing as a free lunch) and can be used against me.

Anyway here's a couple videos that I thought I would share:

1. The lady driving this car decided to just plunge into my lane without looking. I'm pretty sure she had no clue at all that I was there because she seemed genuinely shocked afterwards.


2. And this here is Connecticut Ave. which I generally avoid due to its changing traffic pattern during the day.
Drunkards On Connecticut

BTW, this is the jacket I wear (not me in the pic) and I ride with my high beams on.... so I still feel entitled to a WTF when people don't see me.


This one of the videos that really motivated me to get a helmet cam: cager pulls a 180 into the biker's lane


NOW GO GET A HELMET CAM.

[Heath]

On video 2 is that a reversible lane you're in?

[RBX QB]

I'll ask...

Explain that center lane setup you riding on Connecticut Ave. We don't have things like that in the PNW.

[He Man]

i have one (sort of since its on long term borrow use...)

and it PEEVES me out when i see people cut in lanes and then freak out but CONTINUE to do commit into their lane like their so horrified they dont know what else to do. and then when you speed up and flip them off, the cuss you out.


AHHHHH It just pissess me off right now thinking about it. the audacity they have. SERIOUSLY, youre about to run my ass over and god knows if i couldnt brake in time you CONTINUE TO merge into a lane you shouldnt have.


great now im going to be in a bad mood for the next few hours until i find that prius and throw a whole pizza on her windsheild.

and that centerlane thing is so retarded. the dashed yellow switches so in the morning you have more lanes to go a certain way. smart, but terribly dangerous if you have idiots on the road.

[Slide Panda]

I'll ask...

Explain that center lane setup you riding on Connecticut Ave. We don't have things like that in the PNW.

There's a number of areas in DC that have reversible  lanes - that's one of them. Common set up is 5 lanes, The outer two in each direction are one way, always, and the center changes direction based on time of day. There are sings that like up and tell you what's what... but it's not uncommon to see stuff like that video shows where you get someone who's confused or inattentive going to wrong way.

As part of my commute this morning I saw a Volvo wagon nearly smash a fellow on a Harley- twice. The HD rider was even in a high viz vest but that didn't help the volvo driver. After being in a position where they (in theory) could see the HD the volvo driver pulled up a bit, but not enough to clear, flicked on their signal (at least they did that) and started over into the space occupied by the HD. They got a bit of the horn for  that and lurched back to the right, mostly into their lane. But in his frantic craning about to look over his shoulder, the Volvo driver swung further into the lane of the HD rider who had smartly backed off and cleared the space.

Volvo driver in their own little world and a crappy driver once they rejoined ours.

It's a combat commute in DC. I thought I might get a job downtown again and was looking over used DRZ650s as my commute mule and abuse taker.

[The Mad King Pepe']

The section of Connecticut Avenue I'm on has 6 lanes total. During the morning rush hour 4 lanes head downtown and 2 lanes outward, during the afternoon rush hour the situation is inverted with 2 lanes heading in and 4 out. 3 in and 3 out the rest of the time and you can park.

There's illuminated street signs that indicate the number of lanes you can use every few blocks so there really isn't a valid reason for people not to know unless they are not paying attention. For what it's worth, I usually avoid Conn. during rush hour just to avoid finding myself dealing with this issue.

I wasn't really angry at the lady in the Prius since it really looked like she had not seen me, tho it also looked like she didn't really bother to check, and she was really apologetic. The point I'm trying to make is that she could have hit me and sent me flying in the other lane against incoming traffic and just drove away. Not implying that she would have, just hypothesizing a worst case scenario.

So me @30 mph against oncoming traffic @30 == hitting a wall @60. Once I'm out of the equation (pun intended) then what? I don't expect the folks from CSI (or Bones, or NCIS -- not that they could give a shit) to figure out what really happened. "Biker lost control of his bike and flew into oncoming traffic", case closed, let's have some beers and watch the game... Maybe a few people noticed what could have been an impact with another vehicle in the bikers lane, and maybe there's some marks on the bike that suggest that. Any other proof? Evidence? No? OK, case closed, let's have some beers and watch the game...

I'm not saying (typing) this because I'm bitter against the justice system or the popo (yea, I am under the impression that the system is more about closure than actual justice -- but I will not get started about that). What I want is to have a witness on my side that can show that the accident wasn't caused by my riding like a sh!t head, which coincidentally helps keep me from driving like one .

[Slide Panda]

and it PEEVES me out when i see people cut in lanes and then freak out but CONTINUE to do commit into their lane like their so horrified they dont know what else to do. and then when you speed up and flip them off, the cuss you out.

me too. I especially love it when it's someone who's sitting through a left turn green arrow - who then flips you off for giving them a little beep-beep and dashes through the intersection on the yellow arrow.

Had that happen one time and it wasn't even me who honked. In that instance I ended up catching the offending young lady just due to the tides of traffic and she just did the eyes locked front and pretended I was not sitting next to her in beltway gridlock

[derby]

This one of the videos that really motivated me to get a helmet cam: cager pulls a 180 into the biker's lane

i remember this. the rider was a poster on local motorcycle forum i used to frequent. 

[Artful]

me too. I especially love it when it's someone who's sitting through a left turn green arrow - who then flips you off for giving them a little beep-beep and dashes through the intersection on the yellow arrow.

Had that happen one time and it wasn't even me who honked. In that instance I ended up catching the offending young lady just due to the tides of traffic and she just did the eyes locked front and pretended I was not sitting next to her in beltway gridlock

I had a Corolla nearly kill me on the DC Beltway in gridlock. Changed lanes and nearly pinned me against the semi in the lane next to me, I was left with maybe a foot of space total to my sides. I rolled up next to them once traffic was completely stopped and gave a rev. They refused to look over so I knocked gently on their window. The girl flipped me off but refused to turn her head.

I was proud of myself for not punching off her mirror.

I might start wearing my cam for my commute. If nothing else it would make for an entertaining thread watching the dance of the Baltimorons on 95 every day.

[ducatiz]

I like how you pass the Prius driver, look at her and shake your head.  lol

You need a louder horn.  The stock horn is ok, but something louder.   When my stereo is on in my car,  I can barely hear anything.

[dropstharockalot]

We've got a couple reversible lanes here in Indy... I stay the heck out of the one that changes directions 'cuz I've always thought, "Someday someone is gonna forget..." And there's the video to confirm it.

[The Mad King Pepe']

I like how you pass the Prius driver, look at her and shake your head.  lol

You need a louder horn.  The stock horn is ok, but something louder.   When my stereo is on in my car,  I can barely hear anything.

You can't see it on cam, but she was really trying her best to apologize. Good point about the horn, been thinking of a Stebel (Nautilus) or something similar. That and putting on the old cored-out loud-as-hell mufflers.

i remember this. the rider was a poster on local motorcycle forum i used to frequent. 

Another thing that shocked me about this video was that the driver clamed that somehow it was the biker's fault... WTF?!? You just pulled a 180, and it's her fault!?!

Here's another video where things could have gone either way if the rider had not had a camera. "He must have lost control, proabaly going too fast!"

[iRam]

Im thoroughly convinced. Im Shopping for 1 riht now.

[mikeb]

Lane splitting and reversible lanes just seem too risky on a bike.  Granted they're legal and you have the right of way.  But you'll always lose the physical battle if something goes wrong.

[rockaduc]

Lane splitting and reversible lanes just seem too risky on a bike.  Granted they're legal and you have the right of way.  But you'll always lose the physical battle if something goes wrong.

+1.  It doen't do you any good if you are right but dead.