INCIDENT MANAGEMENT

Bike cameras - insights on their use from Ray - March 2025

I ride with both a helmet camera and a rear camera. Typically there are very few incidents which I feel are serious enough to warrant submitting on-line to the Herts Constabulary.  Last year I submitted around 3 of which 2 occurred on a single VCC Socials plus ride to Aston Clinton. Typically after submitting an incident there is no feedback on the outcome.

Unusually, and surprisingly the two incidents which occurred on the Socials+ ride to Aston Clinton resulted in the police taking action and letting me know the outcome.

The first incident occurred on the Redbourn road. A a Mini car drove at very high speed towards the Socials+ riders passing us at speed in our lane and at much less then the recommended 1.5m.

The second incident on that ride occurred just outside Aston Clinton and was a road rage incident. A camper van overtook the group passing close to the riders at the same time as sounding its horn. The van then pulled in front of us and stopped, causing us to have to stop and dismount. It waited for a few minutes before pulling away.

I submitted these incidents back in August last year. I expected to hear nothing more. In December 2024 I was contacted by the police to advise that the driver of the road rage camper van had attended a driving awareness course.

Today I heard that the driver of the Mini car has been found guilty of driving without due care and attention and given 5 penalty points and fined £720.

The benefit of riding with cameras is not immediately clear and typically, as with dashcams in cars, people use the footage only if they are involved in an accident. But the above does show that cameras do have a value beyond that and that footage of dangerous driving towards cyclists is taken seriously and prosecutions made.

Ray Pitchforth

Given the number of bike thefts from members this year, here are some thoughts to protect your pride and joy(s)!

1. Hide Your Digital Footprint

Set privacy zones: Use privacy settings on apps like Strava or Garmin Connect to hide the start and end points of your rides so thieves cannot trace where you live or work.

Rename your gear: Change your bike names on tracking apps to generic labels like "road bike" instead of listing the exact expensive brand and model.

Anonymize photos: Avoid posting photos of your high-end bike with recognizable local landmarks or your home interior in the background.

2. Reinforce Your Storage Space

• Upgrade outbuildings: Secure sheds and garages with heavy-duty padlocks, hinge bolts, and mortise locks rather than standard flimsy latches.
• Block out views: Cover windows in garages or sheds with frosted film, curtains, or paper so thieves cannot see valuable bikes inside.
• Clear exterior blind spots: Keep boundary hedges trimmed down and tidy away loose garden tools (like hammers, crowbars, or bricks) that burglars could otherwise use to force entry into a shed or side gate
• Anchor your rides: Bolt a hardened steel ground or wall anchor directly into concrete or masonry to prevent a thief from simply carrying the bike away.

3. Use Heavy-Duty Physical Security

• Lock bikes together: If you own multiple bikes, chain them tightly to one another so they are impossible to wheel away quickly as a single unit.
• Choose high ratings: Invest in Sold Secure Gold or Diamond-rated locks or chains specifically designed for home resistance where weight is less of a concern.]
• Remove accessories: Take off expensive lights, cycle computers, and removable batteries if you store e-bikes in outbuildings.

4. Help the Police to Recover your bike for you

• Register your frame: Mark your frame and register your details on national databases like BikeRegister to deter resale and aid police recovery.
• Keep a VCC fob on all your bikes: Additional blank fobs are available if you have more than 3 bikes. Having a fob with your name on works – we have had bikes recovered because of this information was available on bikes found at a scene of crime!