A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

We have all seen the footage on YouTube and scattered across social media sites. A motor vehicle travelling in the same direction as a cyclists, sees the cyclist, thinks it can pass (albeit narrowly), and nearly causes a collision. Worse yet, a collision results with injurious outcomes!

Footage has also become a common feature on news websites, with videos featuring regularly of cyclists getting into conflict with motorists – road rage incidents and again often with injurious outcomes.

More often than not, the footage is captured by a GoPro camera (or the like) attached to the cyclist or their bicycle.

So why are cyclists turning to cameras?

Some cyclists report that cameras are becoming an important safety device. They report that motorist behaviour dramatically improves when they are aware they are being recorded, resulting in more awareness and improved safety. It’s not the perfect motivation for doing the right thing, but if fear of being caught deters someone from doing the wrong thing, then it has served a purpose.

Cyclists also report relying on footage captured if there’s an incident or accident on the road. As the old saying goes – a picture speaks a thousand words. Hard evidence can be a good way of helping elicit fairer outcomes. And with a significant percentage of collisions involving cyclists being hit from behind or the side, footage can prove vital in identifying who was involved and what happened.

Ultimately, the increasing use of cameras and like devices will hopefully improve road safety by raising driver consciousness and acting as a deterrent.