I'm ready for my close up Mr. DeMille

Cyclists who are using helmet video cameras to document their rides and to provide documentation in the event that they are hit are becoming more common. Recently the New York Times published an article about how cyclists are using video cameras as a way to document their rides as well as act as a black box. So in the event that they are hit by a car it is possible to retrieve information that may allow the police to arrest and prosecute a hit and run driver. The article gives several examples of incidents that happened in a blink of an eye, but with the ability to view a video frame by frame its easier to identify the vehicle and the driver.

This subject has been heavily covered in many bicycling blogs throughout the country and I saw no real need to add my voice. Until I saw this video, shot by an ordinary person, not in law enforcement, who has a dashboard camera in his car.

With the price and size of cameras coming down a simple Google search under “helmet camera” will provide many options. Some smaller than the bulky Gopro camera featured in the New York Times.

Whether its a cyclist or or a third party video is one of the best witnesses you can have in a hit and run; it can't be intimidated, lie, or forget. No matter how quickly something may happen, even in the blink of an eye like the videos in the New York Times, a video can be viewed frame by frame to get details you may have never have seen. Something that will make the difference between the police declaring something an accident and pursuing the driver of a hit and run. Making you a witness, not a victim.