Ready To KILL!

[LillFilly]

You may remember my boyfriend being hit by the DUI Driver in a pick-up truck last year. Boyfriend is doing all right and got another bicycle to ride to work, with 2-headlights, taillights, reflectors, rear-view mirror and he wears a reflective vest. I was mentioning to him these recording sunglasses (3 hours, + mini sd card) I picked-up and how well they worked. He’s now considering getting a pair because he’s been sideswiped by 6 cars since getting back on the road and this is AFTER a new state law went into effect that cars must pass 4-feet to the left of a cyclist, with permission to cross a solid yellow line if necessary. But noooo, these drivers couldn’t be bothered to do that. He told me of the last one actually scraped his handlebar with her side mirror as she came-up on him (he stays as far over to the right as he can, but a lot of places on the road to work don’t have shoulders), and he kicked her passenger door; que everyone in the car starting to scream at him until a huge black truck roared up on her ass and honked, making her get away from boyfriend! Black truck then passed at the required safe distance and waved. I want him to have some sort of recording device so even if it doesn’t catch the plate, with audio recording he could still speak the plate number to it. But if another car hits my boyfriend, I will be out for blood!

[PepperElf]

In all honesty I'm not surprised.

On one of my other message boards some people become extreme asshats when it comes to people on bikes. They don't give a flying fuck about "share the road" and feel that because they pay tax on their gas only THEY have a right to be there.

The last time I went out biking here, I had cars honking at me cos I was in their way... even though the signs on the road clearly say "share the road"... they don't give a fuck.

I say... yes get the glasses. I cannot say it will stop them from being shitheads, but if something else happens you can probably use the evidence against them in court.


Come to think of it... your boyfriend might also want to consider contacting the local news network once he has a lot of footage available. Perhaps the network can air a segment about how drivers blatantly refuse to obey traffic laws, and play some of the footage showing just how dangerous these shitheads are.

[LillFilly]

Come to think of it... your boyfriend might also want to consider contacting the local news network once he has a lot of footage available. Perhaps the network can air a segment about how drivers blatantly refuse to obey traffic laws, and play some of the footage showing just how dangerous these shitheads are.

Great idea! Maybe I'll write a letter to the paper too; they always have little community pieces. Stress how the person on the bike is someone's child, father, husband, etc. and that we do NOT want to see them in the morgue because 'you' didn't feel a cyclist should have rights.

[Andara Bledin]

First, check your local laws to ensure that such a thing is legal. Once you know it is, then absolutely go for it.

I'm in a huge metal cage, and I still want to get a dashcam for my car because if something happens, I want more than just my word. It would have been useful for the poor guy on the motorcycle who got turned in front of a few months back, too.

Also, I've been watching bikes and cars more heavily of late, and I've come to the conclusion that a cyclist who wants to stay in one piece is better off being in the lane fully when unable to be out of it sufficiently to be safe. If you're off to the side, people think they can scrape by, and as ample evidence has shown, most people don't know where the holy hell the side of their car really is. But if you're actually in the lane, they have to pass properly, like they would have to with a motorcycle.

^-.-^

[PepperElf]

I could be wrong but I think it wouldn't be any different than other forms of video currently in use such as dash-cams, phones etc... and more to the point - it's public property since it's a road. unless it somehow qualifies as a "distraction" device (thus falling under categories such as texting/calling while driving etc)

Where the law steps in is when said footage is published. Which shouldn't be a problem if submitted to the local news network.... cos the network, and not the boyfriend, would then be the ones in trouble if any identifying information (license plates etc) weren't blurred out prior to transmission.

[LillFilly]

Where the law steps in is when said footage is published. Which shouldn't be a problem if submitted to the local news network.... cos the network, and not the boyfriend, would then be the ones in trouble if any identifying information (license plates etc) weren't blurred out prior to transmission.

I was mostly thinking the footage would be useful if he had to go to court, such as a vehicle full of people arguing that they had the right of way, and having several people vs. the one rider. We were lucky last time because 3-cars of witnesses stopped and offered their information to the police that my boyfriend was in the right; we might not get that lucky again.

Funny when they argue that because 'they' pay taxes, they 'own' the road and bikers shouldn't have any rights. Well, you can own a bike AND a car, so you ARE paying so you DO have rights. Well, I guess I share my rights with my boyfriend since the bicycle is his only mode of transportation at the moment, but I don't mind!

[wolfie]

On one of my other message boards some people become extreme asshats when it comes to people on bikes. They don't give a flying fuck about "share the road" and feel that because they pay tax on their gas only THEY have a right to be there.

I'd like to see one of those asshats drive an electric car, or one powered by CNG. No road taxes are collected on electricity or natural gas, but there are taxes on diesel fuel, so the Peterbilt of Natural Selection pays its fair share. I have a right to be there, but by using their own "logic", they wouldn't have a right to be there.