Why You Should Always Ride with a Camera

You should always ride with a camera.

Bike cameras, like Go Pros, exploded in popularity, for very good reason. 

Bike cameras can be mounted on your handlebars, and under your seat to capture your ride.  Bike cameras can be mounted on your helmet to capture what you see.  They can be used to capture that epic sunset riding toward the Pacific.  They can be used to show off how you became the KOM or QOM or how your tyke handled her first trail ride.  They can be used to capture and document obstructions, like that huge tree branch in the bike lane, or that jackass parked in the bike lane because he “just had to run inside real quick”. 

But, the best reason to wear a camera might be in case you’re ever in an accident. 

It can be very tough to prove liability in a bicycle accident. 

Jurors don’t typically like bicyclists.  Most people have had experience with bad bike riders.  There is that guy who never stops at stop signs.  There are those people who ride side by side on narrow roads, outside of the bike lane.  There are those people who ride smack dab in the middle of the lane.  Police officers might be biased against bicyclists, and believe the driver over the bike rider.  Insurance companies are often biased against bicyclists, in favor of their own drivers. 

But, bike cameras can be used to capture that guy who ran a red light and hit you, or that woman who turned right into you in the bike lane.  It can be difficult to prove if a bicyclist is hit from behind, and the driver flees the scene, but a rear-mounted camera will probably capture the car, the license plate on the car, the driver texting, and the impact, or at the very least, capture the car coming up on the bicyclist, making it impossible to dispute the car hit the bicyclist.  Bike cameras can also be used to prove that you did not veer from the bike lane, fail to turn signal, or fail to stop at that stop sign. 

Which camera is your best choice?

You know the laws that apply to bike riders in California.  You dress in contrasting colors.  You know how to pick a safe bike helmet.  But, sometimes that isn’t enough.  Sometimes even the safest bicyclists get into accidents.  And if you do, you’ll want to know what to do after a bicycle accident.  Part of that might be reviewing your Go Pro footage with the police officer to show that the other side was at fault. 

Keep in mind that not all bike cameras are created equal.  If you’re riding in a big enough city these days you have probably been approached by someone on a bike offering to install free cameras on your bike.  They offer to take your bike to a shop, install some free cameras, and then you’ll have them, and you won’t even have to buy your own.  But, these are often scams.  The companies will install cameras, typically with internet access, which can be used to track you, and record conversations.  It sounds great, because the footage can be automatically uploaded to the cloud…except if you got into an accident, they know you’ll want that footage and can charge insane “archival” fees.  Not to mention, you might have a duty to preserve the footage as evidence.  Bottom line, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.  So, just go with the GoPro or something like that. 

Of course, if you have been hurt in a bicycle accident, you probably want lawyers who know the ins and outs of bicycle riding. Attorney John McCarthy is considered the best bike accident lawyer on the Central Coast, and a top bike crash attorney in all of California. He is a recreational mountain biker, who typically stays off the roads because he has seen too many grisly accidents.  He has a keen understanding of representing bike riders, and the unique challenges bike riders present.  If you have been injured in a bicycle accident, we want to help.  We offer a free, confidential, case evaluation.  The form is below.  Just fill out the form, and we’ll get back to you, typically within 24 hours.  Why wait?