Motorcycle Helmet Cameras a Good Idea?
Lots of riders have a motorcycle-mounted camera now-a-day, but can these cameras bite your backside if things go wrong? The fundamental limitation with cameras is they catch one, admittedly fairly wide, angle. So, if you are side swiped on a roundabout they may not add much. If forward mounted they would demonstrate a classic T-bone crash but these do not take a lot of proving.I have been involved in a fair few cases where the moment of impact is caught on camera and cameras do no harm, but I have also been involved in the defense of riders whose riding has been filmed by the rider himself.
The police in Thailand can seize the camera as evidence. There is no stature which specifically gives the police the right to take the camera off your helmet, but section of the Thai law gives a general power of seizure where the police officer has reasonable grounds for believing it evidence related to a incident. The police officer doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that a helmet camera is potential evidence….
In case of an accident the police have ground to question you about your riding then they do have the right, if they have a suspicion of some wrong doing, to seize your camera if it is mounted on your motorcycle. On your helmet is much more difficult, unless you take it off and hang it on your motorcycle or put it on the ground.
So, are cameras a good idea? I think a discretely mounted camera which only the most eagle-eyed of police officers would see, could well be an investment worth having. There is certainly a few cases in which a camera would have helped. On the other hand, if you get stopped for a traffic violation with a helmet mounted camera you can forget any negotiations about an alternative payment plan… if you know what I mean.Tag: Helmet Camera Police Law Accident
Flying Squirrel
Also attaching it to a helmet could be construed as modifying the helmet which it is in some US states.
So a good idea? Maybe if you don't have a heavy crash? It may also induce a false sense of security, in that the rider thinks he can get away with more as if there is an incident he will have evidence of the other persons supposed wrong doing.