My latest project

[rockhopper]

I have mentioned my latest project in a few posts. Now I'm ready to reveal all (that goes before or behind me.....)

I have installed 2 vehicle drive recorders, one at the front and one at the rear.

The background to this is that I work in the insurance industry and I'm coming across all sorts of incidents where people dispute liability, which got me thinking....I saw something a while back about the Roadhawk, which is a vehicle drive recorder.

A vehicle drive recorder records video of an incident, for approx a minute before the incident and for a certain time after the incident, so you can prove to your insurance company that you were not at fault - (if that is the case......)

I looked at the Roadhawk and others, but they were all very large and obtrusive.

The I found this BlackVue

This is quite small and discrete. It allows me to record constantly all the time and will then overwrite the oldest files first. It only shoots at max, VGA at 30fps, but it is good enough quality. It even has a parking mode which senses impacts and records those as well, but does require a constant unswitched live.

I used these to great effect at the weekend on the offroad drive.

Here are some pictures of it installed front and back:

MIke

[Allams Skoda]

Very nicely hidden!

[Macdemon]

Good pics and good advice rockhopper. :yes:

Lets see someone try to wriggle out of THAT one.

Does it time & date stamp the recordings??

[rockhopper]

Yes. And best of all it has a/v out so you can hook up to a display and have for example a rear view/reversing camera. Just need to work out how to join the a/v out to my Columbus ......

[Terfyn]

i understand the reasoning behind fitting such devices but I find it very sad that you feel you need to. I suppose that, if you were at fault in an accident, the cameras would equally work against you as well as proving your innocence.

[900000]

Very nice! Now we just await all the Surrey lanes footage!

[Freshacre]

i understand the reasoning behind fitting such devices but I find it very sad that you feel you need to. I suppose that, if you were at fault in an accident, the cameras would equally work against you as well as proving your innocence.

Yebbut - apart from the defensive aspect of using it, I reckon it could be a great way to relive a fabulous drive in some lovely scenery - perhaps somewhere you'd not visit again.

Just think how it would capture those Welsh hills, all covered in sheep!

I thought that the YouTube footage (via the other camera's page) was incredibly steady and very clear indeed. Impressive.

[Terfyn]

Yebbut - apart from the defensive aspect of using it, I reckon it could be a great way to relive a fabulous drive in some lovely scenery - perhaps somewhere you'd not visit again.

Just think how it would capture those Welsh hills, all covered in sheep!

I thought that the YouTube footage (via the other camera's page) was incredibly steady and very clear indeed. Impressive.

Fair enough. I used my video camera on a mirror mount with the old XT.

[oldstan]

That's interesting, I was, just today, considering the purchase of the two camera system (Roadhawk RH2) having seen odd bits of footage on Youtube. The use of these cameras is currently being dicussed on another forum.... http://www.car4play.com/forum/post/index.htm?f=2&t=5755 (Mods will delete that if it's inappropriate to link to another place). The latter Roadhawk unit is £299 - the single from Roadhawk is £199.

Clearly, RH, you looked at all that was available. Are you disposed to say what appealed to the two seperate units looking forward and backwards....as opposed to the one, twin camera Roadhawk which is fitted by the interior mirror and looks forward with one lens and back, into the car interior and out of the rear and side windows, with the other lens?

Your installation is very neat....presumably you teased the interior trim away in order to hide the cable. You would have needed two 12volt sockets, one for each unit, unless you've wired them in to another circuit?

I had been pondering over the pros and cons of having the Twin Camera Lens unit and leaving it on (via a switched, permanent circuit) when the car was parked in vulnerable areas in order to act as a deterrant....perhaps displaying a warning notice to the effect that video monitoring of the car's interior was taking place. However, a half-savvy tealeaf would just nick the unit whilst nicking whatever else he was going to take!!!

I worry about leaving the car in quiet moorland areas which are deserted for long periods of time.

Clearly pros and cons on this one - and in many years I've never had an occasion when one would have got me out of trouble with an Insurance Co. But you only have to have one instance of an Insurance Co. penalising you after a claim and you've paid for the thing.

Would be very pleased to hear more of the details, RH....if you're so inclined.... :|

[grayson]

In just the same way I loathe the proliferation of CCTV - both public and private- I really cannot abide the thought of following a car which is covertly filming me. I have been victim of car break ins but damned if I'd resort to this degree of paranoia.Friends with Sevens often use little cameras on track days which is just fine but general public use..no bloody thanks. Suspect the RIPA legislation may have some relevance here ?

[Allams Skoda]

Whoa, check out the aftermath.

[oldstan]

In just the same way I loathe the proliferation of CCTV - both public and private- I really cannot abide the thought of following a car which is covertly filming me. I have been victim of car break ins but damned if I'd resort to this degree of paranoia.Friends with Sevens often use little cameras on track days which is just fine but general public use..no bloody thanks. Suspect the RIPA legislation may have some relevance here ?

Oh...right then. I seemed to have touched a spot with you there then? Sorry if I've pushed your blood pressure up a couple of notches!

(I wished I hadn't mentioned it now)....slinks away feeling a bit 'told off'.... :(

PS. As it happens, I'd have to disagree a bit re. the the proliferation of CCTV and if you're really not happy with covert filming of your car, then you must be pretty peeved coz there's a camera on you pretty well every time you go out, same as there is on me - and everyone else.

And if you had a friend or relative blown up by a terrorist bomb, you'd probably be pleased that CCTV had caught the b******s on camera and put them behind bars.

Edited 29 March, 2011 by oldstan

[rockhopper]

Hi all.

Yes it is a little paranoia, but around London there are too many uninsured drivers and others that dispute liability all the time. The only time i will look at the video footage is when there has been an incident. otherwise the footage is constantly overwritten.

Oh and when we were out on the Yeti Adventure on Sunday - brilliant for that, and for the track day coming up....

I decided against the Roadhawk as it is very big and cumbersome compared the the BlackVue unit. I don't need a record of what is happening inside my car - great for Taxi's etc, but for private use not needed, and you can barely see what is happening outside the car with the internal camera, and at night it has infra red lights to show what is happening in the car, so decided on just a front facing camera. I decided that I wanted a rear facing one as well, which I could then connect up to the Columbus, I hope, and use a a reversing camera.

I could set up the unit just to record events, but decided just to have it constantly recording all the time. This unit will also detect movement and events when parked up in parking mode, providing the unit is powered up all the time.

The installation was fairly easy for the front, just used The Great Yeti's guide for the live feed, just need to chose a different fuse as I'm on a switched circuit at the moment.

The back I will eventually feed through the wiring harness and through the side panels inside the back door once I have worked out how to gain access to them. The Yeti is rather well put together! At the moment it is just plugged into the rear 12v socket.

To give you an idea of the quality, here is a link to a short video clip I just threw together a few minutes ago.

Just watch the video and you can tell when my wheels are off the ground.......

Mike

[ukcruiser]

I've had a RoadHawk Fitted in my car for a while now, only forward facing, but i love it.

It also has GPS, so it also records the speed and position of the vehicle.

I'll take a pic of it installed (albeit into a Superb) tomorrow for you all see.

Al.

[rockhopper]

I've had a RoadHawk Fitted in my car for a while now, only forward facing, but i love it.

It also has GPS, so it also records the speed and position of the vehicle.

I'll take a pic of it installed (albeit into a Superb) tomorrow for you all see.

Al.

Thanks Al.

Both my BlackVue units have GPS as well, which gives the location, speed, time and date, like the Roadhawk.

MIke

[jan25]

3 years ago, when I had an Octy estate, I was following a Ford T100 Tipper in the central reservation slip road to turn right. He had proceded so that half of his vehicle was past the carriageway edge markings - I looked left as I crawled forwards towards the road edge and BANG. He was now back into the slip road a full vehicle length, and I had hit his towbar ball. The damage was zero to his vehicle, and a very small 50mm dent to my bumper - a 1 - 2 mph impact at most. We exchanged details, as normal.

The letter from the the No-Win-No-Fee solicitors came through the door the next morning. Apparently, both he and his wife were suffering from whiplash, and she had suffered a broken elbow.

To date, no actual claim has been made; it is still pending on my insurers (who chase up the NWNF solicitors regularly, but do not receive a reply - this may be because an accident investigator was appointed by my insurers, and his report indicates that injuries were almost impossible given the damage evidence). But this still hangs over my head!

If only I had video evidence that this A-hole had either deliberately or accidently come back at me.......

[Freshacre]

RH

Is the software Mac compatible or does it need to have Windows to work? I haven't found that specified anywhere.

[grayson]

Oh...right then. I seemed to have touched a spot with you there then? Sorry if I've pushed your blood pressure up a couple of notches!

(I wished I hadn't mentioned it now)....slinks away feeling a bit 'told off'.... :(

PS. As it happens, I'd have to disagree a bit re. the the proliferation of CCTV and if you're really not happy with covert filming of your car, then you must be pretty peeved coz there's a camera on you pretty well every time you go out, same as there is on me - and everyone else.

And if you had a friend or relative blown up by a terrorist bomb, you'd probably be pleased that CCTV had caught the b******s on camera and put them behind bars.

CCTV is more common in this country than anywhwere else apart from North Korea I once read- and I do not subscribe to the 'if you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear' nonsense.I have something to hide- my privacy. I take your point about terrorism (which is inevitably more bark than bite- check the numbers killed on the roads compared to by terrorism)) but I believe that personal liberty to go where I want without somebody watching me on a camera is a fundamentally important right in a free country..

[BossFox]

I wish we had recording devices on our fleet vehicles.

I don't really care if people like it or not, the last two minor bumps (one side to side) at less than 5mph have turning into major claim attempts with the one driver who had no passengers magically turning into four personal injury whiplash claims.

In this claim crazy society when far too many people are prepared to commit insurance fraud I think the idea of back and front cameras are fantastic.

I need a bulk buyers discount...

[Terfyn]

I go with Grayson on this.

The logical extension is for all car makers to fit front and rear cameras (think of the advantages when parking) record all road activity and transmit to a central police computer anong with GPS for speed and location. Automatic issue of fines, notices of prosecution and a signal to the chip in your car to immobilise the engine. 1984 becomes a reality.

Paranoia rules OK.

[BossFox]

I go with Grayson on this.

The logical extension is for all car makers to fit front and rear cameras (think of the advantages when parking) record all road activity and transmit to a central police computer anong with GPS for speed and location. Automatic issue of fines, notices of prosecution and a signal to the chip in your car to immobilise the engine. 1984 becomes a reality.

Paranoia rules OK.

Does that mean I get cheaper insurance preiums on the buses and no more... "oh, the damage happened while the bus was parked?" :wonder:

Maybe it'll improve driving standards too.

I have to say, it doesn't bother me at all.

[rockhopper]

RH

Is the software Mac compatible or does it need to have Windows to work? I haven't found that specified anywhere.

Hi Freshacre. In short no. I have to run windows on my mac to run the software, but I can view the video on the mac, just not the gps nits n bobs.

Bootcamp, VMware Fusion or Parralels is the onlyway to view.

[Freshacre]

Hi Freshacre. In short no. I have to run windows on my mac to run the software, but I can view the video on the mac, just not the gps nits n bobs.

Bootcamp, VMware Fusion or Parralels is the onlyway to view.

That is what i thought, and , like you I have windoze on my MacBook Pro via VMWare. It works extremely well I find, though I haven't found the need to put it onto the iMac yet. I use that for photography because the display is out of this world!

Thanks for getting back to me. (I really like the thought of a permanent record of a journey stored on the camera's SD card, so that you can look at it if you want, or just leave it to function as it is until needed!).

[oldstan]

I take your point about terrorism (which is inevitably more bark than bite- check the numbers killed on the roads compared to by terrorism))

"Terrorism - More bark than bite"....Would you care to tell that to the friends, relatives, loved ones of any one of the 3000 who died on 11th September 2001, or the 56 dead and 700 injured on 7th July 2005. The list is quite extensive. Clearly none of your relatives threw themselves out of a window, 100 floors up rather than burn to death when terrorists flew planes into those towers.

To avoid severe thread drift I won't pursue the point but I just wanted to remind you you that terrorism is with us and here to stay whether you like it or not. You stick with your firmly held privacy principles and just hope it doesn't happen to you.

[OctyNik]

In just the same way I loathe the proliferation of CCTV - both public and private- I really cannot abide the thought of following a car which is covertly filming me. I have been victim of car break ins but damned if I'd resort to this degree of paranoia.Friends with Sevens often use little cameras on track days which is just fine but general public use..no bloody thanks. Suspect the RIPA legislation may have some relevance here ?

What's RIPA got to do with someone using personal recording equipment in a public place?