Legal or not legal? You be the judge

[brokespoke]

Yeesh.

I have a question though: after almost t-boning a Mercedes SUV this morning because she blew a stop sign, I’m thinking about getting a camera. What do people use? Also, what made you decide to get one yourself?

[bobco85]

@brokespoke 148414 wrote:

Yeesh.

I have a question though: after almost t-boning a Mercedes SUV this morning because she blew a stop sign, I’m thinking about getting a camera. What do people use? Also, what made you decide to get one yourself?

Reading material:

• http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?3323-Video-camera-recommendations
• http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?5879-Video-cameras-for-commuting
• http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?4325-Road-rage-incident-what-do-I-do

I use a ContourROAM 3 facing forward and a ContourROAM 2 facing backward.

Pros:

• Waterproof
• Somewhat low key (i.e., you don’t look like a Teletubby if it’s helmet-mounted; I have mine on my handlebar)
• Durable (I’ve dropped it on pavement/concrete/etc numerous times with no damage)
• Video quality is good (I keep mine set at 1080p)
• Lens can be rotated up to 270 degrees for any mounting set-up
• Easy to use (slide the switch forward to turn on; has a laser to help with leveling the camera)

Cons:

• Camera settings can only be changed while it is plugged into a computer
• The USB cord is not the standard micro-USB that a lot of electronics use, so don’t lose it!
• Nighttime scenes with little/no light do not show up very well at all

My reason for getting a camera:

• One too many close calls with drivers pushed me to get one in late October 2012 because I knew that if I were to be hit, it’s not likely I would get any sort of justice unless I caught the crash on camera; it’s funny how the time leading up to Daylight Savings Time seems to be the most dangerous for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers due to… DRIVERS

In regards to the thread title: the driver’s maneuver was not legal. Drivers are not allowed to drive in a bike lane unless they are parking or making a right turn, even if it would be convenient for them. Convenience does not trump safety.

[Steve O]

@brokespoke 148414 wrote:

Yeesh.

I have a question though: after almost t-boning a Mercedes SUV this morning because she blew a stop sign, I’m thinking about getting a camera. What do people use? Also, what made you decide to get one yourself?

I think that this has been discussed a lot before, but with changing technology, may be worth revisiting. Why don’t you start a separate thread specific to video cameras?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@brokespoke 148414 wrote:

Yeesh.

I have a question though: after almost t-boning a Mercedes SUV this morning because she blew a stop sign, I’m thinking about getting a camera. What do people use? Also, what made you decide to get one yourself?

I was using a Garmin Virb basic, but the batteries were getting wonky and the quality kinda sucked, so I just upgraded to a Virb Ultra 30 (basically a direct competitor to the GoPro Hero5). It comes with a waterproof case and will get 2 hours of battery life at 1080p (just over an hour at 4k). It’s totally overkill for a cam that’s solely for CYA/liability/dashcam purposes, but I wanted something that I could use for commuting that would also do 4k and high quality stills for underwater shots, motorcycle stuff, and whatever else comes up.

[Lt. Dan]

a firm open handed slap on the back quarter of the car would have been my response…

[Crickey7]

I’ve had the cheapest GoPro for liability purposes and as a way to effectively getting aggressive drivers to tone it down, and it’s fine for that. The high profile works for me in that last respect. Low light performance is not great, though, and at times it would be useful to have a screen so as to be able to review footage on the spot.

[dasgeh]

Thanks for posting. This is a helpful video for discussion with, e.g. police.

I would imagine that the response is that the following actions were clearly violations:
(1) changing lanes without signalling
(2) unsafe lane change (since you were in when the car merged into the lane).

Those have nothing to do with the lane being a bike lane. Whether it’s legal to merge into a bike lane to pass turning traffic is jurisdiction dependent, but even in Arlington, where I think the law is more clear, I think the Police wouldn’t enforce.

[KLizotte]

@Lt. Dan 148473 wrote:

a firm open handed slap on the back quarter of the car would have been my response…

I think a good smacking with one’s shoes/cleats would have been way more appropriate.

[mstone]

Is it legal, hmm…
1) is the person driving a car? YES
2) is the person drunk? NOT CLEARLY
So answer is: TOTALLY OK!

This helpful checklist will work for basically any infraction, including those involving death and dismemberment.

[KWL]

@excimer34 148400 wrote:

Warning: turn the volume down on your computer/phone–lots of noise.

I go through that intersection daily. If this was my video, another reason for turning the volume down would be to avoid the very colorful cursing.

[cvcalhoun]

@brokespoke 148414 wrote:

Yeesh.

I have a question though: after almost t-boning a Mercedes SUV this morning because she blew a stop sign, I’m thinking about getting a camera. What do people use? Also, what made you decide to get one yourself?

I use a Cycliq Fly12 on the front, and a Cycliq Fly6 on the back. They double as a headlight and tail light. And they are made for the purpose, so they have features like turning off an hour after an accident (so they won’t overwrite the footage of the accident).

[AlexandriaBiker]

Have you shown the video to Alexandria PD ? They may go out and have a conversation with the driver.

[Mariner]

@excimer34 148400 wrote:

Nevermind the timestamp on this video. It occurred on 11/3/16 at approximately 5:30 pm. The city of Alexandria this week repainted the bike lane at Commonwealth Ave and E Glebe Road. They even painted it green, ironically enough, to increase visibility. That didn’t stop Virginia plate WTR 5952 from using the bike lane to swing around stopped traffic. I didn’t die, so that’s good.

Illegal. It would be illegal whether there was a bike lane or not, as there is only one lane of traffic, and it is illegal to pass on the right. Drivers do it all the time anyway.

I’ve come to expect maneuvers like that. Always anticipate what vehicles will do, and in this case, WTR 5952 was obviously not slowing for the stopped traffic ahead turning left on E Glebe. There was only one maneuver that driver could make.

Others mentioned a Contour. I use a Contour Roam 3, which as indicated is waterproof (it’s actually underwater rated). It also kind of looks like a light (and not a GoPro!), so it has subtlety working for it. You can also pair it with your Android or iPhone, and get a rear-facing cam for travel, handy to see what’s happening behind you.

[Mariner]

@Lt. Dan 148473 wrote:

a firm open handed slap on the back quarter of the car would have been my response…

Ugh! That’s a good way to end up sprawled on the pavement!

[Author]

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