Should you have a “Black Box” for your bicycle?

I recently stumbled upon a product called Rideye. This is essentially a black box for your bicycle. It is constantly videotaping a 120 degree view of what is in front of you. The camera uses GPS to log the bicyclist speed and position. The device deletes the footage after 2 1/2 hours but if there is an accident it saves and encrypts the data so it cannot be edited. This is a successful kick starter campaign and the product is due to start shipping this March. My opinion is that we will start seeing many devices like this including some that will also videotape the rear of your bicycle. Of course I would hope that riding on the streets would be so safe that this product would simply be unnecessary. However, from my experiences as a bicycle injury lawyer, all too often when there is a bicycle versus motor vehicle collision there is a dispute has to how it happened. Unfortunately, there is a great bias against bicyclists and many times the cyclist is wrongly put at fault for an accident.

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One of the great resources we have used in the representation of injured cyclists, has been video that was made available via traffic and security cameras. It is very important to remember that if you are in a bicycle accident you should search the area as soon as possible for cameras that might’ve caught the accident. It is important this is done quickly as many of these devices will delete the video as quickly as every 7 to 14 days. There are other devices out there currently on the market, the most popular being go pro (gopro.com). If you are not going to use one of these cameras, I strongly urge to you consider using a rear view mirror to have a better idea of what is going on behind you. Though keep in mind, most people are most concerned about being hit from behind, that is only the cause of approximately 5% of bicycle collisions. So, most of your focus should be in front and around you.