Road rage incident – what do I do?

[thecyclingeconomist]

@DY4483 42805 wrote:

Suggestions welcome.

Unless you have video, most police won’t do anything. Run your video camera always; your situation is almost identical to the one that prompted me to start running my GoPro on every single ride, no matter what.

And… I’m sorry that you had to deal with this. It’s infuriating and just plain scary. I have two children and a wife at home… to think that some absurd road rage could really put my life into jeopardy really makes you ride a bit differently. I’m less aggressive, and tend to take longer routes to ensure that I don’t commonly encounter people that are in a rush and are stuck in long lines of traffic.

Though those are the situations that seem fun because you can cut lanes and thoroughly feel and be faster than cars, it also provokes them.

Stay safe and keep cycling! Tomorrow morning will be a whole new day!

[DY4483]

Thanks for the advice. Yes, more than anything, it just made me mad — there was no reason for him to get angry, I in no way impeded him, and he was being a jerk. He took time out of his day to threaten me, and he was the one in a hurry. Do you have any recommedations for bike cameras? Preferably one thats not super expensive (I looked up GoPro and it was worth a substantial portion of my bike).

Thanks,

[KLizotte]

I’m so sorry to hear of your incident; it really can color your view of the world for a while. If possible, please think of all the drivers that have gone out of their way to give you priority or given you lots of space when passing; they surely out number the idiots. Similarly, think of pedestrians that have been friendly and other cyclists that have helped you out on the trail, on this forum, etc. When you realize the good truly supercedes the bad it takes the sting out of a bad interaction.

WABA tracks crashes here: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/451/p/salsa/web/questionnaire/public/?questionnaire_KEY=1200

While it seems mostly focused on crashes there is harassment/assault listed. A write-up of what occurred in the text box should help clarify what happened.

[Bilsko]

I’ve used a Tachyon XC off and on for a couple years now and have been pleased with it – despite it being a little on the heavy side when mounted to the helmet. It’d be nice if it had rechargable batteries (ie. USB) -and maybe newer versions do – regular AAA batteries may be the price I pay for getting it so long ago.

Not nearly as good as the GoPro or Contour…but a little easier on the wallet.

[DSalovesh]

I started with a Tachyon bar cam. At $150, it seemed like a good way to get my feet wet.

I didn’t like the resolution, which was only good enough to identify cars by color, make, and model, but rarely enough to read license plates. It didn’t clearly show pavement lines when I was moving, and sometimes I couldn’t even tell if a stoplight was green or red in the videos. And, it wasn’t rechargeable so I went through a ton of expensive disposable AAA lithium batteries.

After about a year of occasional use, the battery holder started losing contact when I hit a bump.

Then I got a good deal on a Contour HD – at full retail it was $200. It has full HD, a good lens, great color, and it’s rechargeable. I can usually read any license plate I pass, and in good light I’ve even caught names off taxi licenses.

That’s also the price of the cheapest GoPro. In tests they’re pretty much equal, so I’ve decided that $200 is about the minimum price of a usable handlebar black box camera.

[bobco85]

I purchased a Contour ROAM camera this past October due to having too many close calls. I’m not sure if drivers have responded to seeing it on my helmet, but at least it seems that I’m having less close calls (I might just be riding more alert, but I at least “feel” safer).

@DY4483 42822 wrote:

Do you have any recommedations for bike cameras? Preferably one thats not super expensive (I looked up GoPro and it was worth a substantial portion of my bike).

Here’s a thread with some camera recommendations: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?3323-Video-camera-recommendations

Keep in mind that you can always go with an older model of a camera (that’s what I did) since the newer models don’t really add much other than more bells and whistles.

[DSalovesh]

@bobco85 42849 wrote:

I’m not sure if drivers have responded to seeing it on my helmet, but at least it seems that I’m having less close calls (I might just be riding more alert, but I at least “feel” safer).

A big change for me was thinking about what I’d want people to see if they were watching my video unedited and without explanation. (E.g., if I was in a coma or worse.)

When the video is running I disobey fewer lights, and only when I feel the video would illustrate that doing so didn’t lead to a crash or inconvenience for anybody. When running video I don’t yell when I’m wronged, even though neither of my cameras pick up clear sound. When I’m recording I often just think of my bike as a camera platform, so I try to point it at the problem (while staying out of trouble, of course). Just gesturing to the camera and notifying a person that I have them on video has ended many conflicts.

[Dickie]

@DSalovesh 42884 wrote:

A big change for me was thinking about what I’d want people to see if they were watching my video unedited and without explanation. (E.g., if I was in a coma or worse.)

When the video is running I disobey fewer lights, and only when I feel the video would illustrate that doing so didn’t lead to a crash or inconvenience for anybody. When running video I don’t yell when I’m wronged, even though neither of my cameras pick up clear sound. When I’m recording I often just think of my bike as a camera platform, so I try to point it at the problem (while staying out of trouble, of course). Just gesturing to the camera and notifying a person that I have them on video has ended many conflicts.

Some really good points here and another reason why I am considering a camera myself. Besides it’s obvious use for evidence, it will also make me more accountable for my own actions.

[baiskeli]

@Dickie 42891 wrote:

it will also make me more accountable for my own actions.

Not if you “burn the negative.”

[jnva]

@Dickie 42891 wrote:

Some really good points here and another reason why I am considering a camera myself. Besides it’s obvious use for evidence, it will also make me more accountable for my own actions.

Not me, I’m the opposite. I find I do more stupid and dangerous stuff while my camera is on so I can get some good footage!

[Bilsko]

Another camera suggestion I just came across: http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=108&cp_id=10834&cs_id=1083408&p_id=10159&seq=1&format=2

I have no experience with it, but the price is right and Monoprice is the company that pulled the rug out from under Monster Cables (at least as far as cheap HDMI cables are concerned) so it may well be worth the $100

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