It isn't really that way, not in the slightest. There have been a lot of reports in the media of late about the clash between cyclists and car drivers, predominantly in places like London, where they frequently have to share the road, and frequently end up disagreeing for various reason. It came to a head particularly when a particularly ill-advised young woman tweeting happily about having knocked a cyclist down, and the subsequent media to-and-fro about both that case in particular ("It was the cyclist's fault, honest...") and circumstances in general.
Now that was, on its own, rather surprising that it went so far (including a BBC interview with lawyer present, claiming more than anything that she'd 'Take the stupid tweet back if she could' - no actual apology for being on the wrong side of the road...) in such a public manner. But now it has gone to a wider conversation about the 'Battle' or 'War' between drivers and cyclists, the use of headcams in general and the right of those on two wheels to be on the road.
As a motorbiker, I sit very much in the middle of that fight. I'm both a motorised vehicle who can run with the cars, and someone on two wheels who can often do things that only cyclists can do. And in my past I have been both a car driver and a cyclist for extended periods.
Categorically; cyclists, car drivers and bikers can be just as bad as each other. I've seen each demographic do stupid, reckless and illegal things many, many times. What I will say is that I've seen car drivers do it far more than anyone else, but this is largely a product of sheer numbers. There are far more cars than bikes or bikers.
I have run with an action camera for the last year or so now, largely because I found I was seeing far too many near-incidents each time I got on the road. And whilst I will hold my hands up to having been stupid a couple of times - the vast majority have been through no fault of my own and have been down to things like dodgy overtaking on motorways or running red lights. But in that time I've also captured cyclists being stupid and motorbikes doing downright suicidal things.
I'm not interested in targeting any particular demographic, and that is thing that needs to be understood. From the perspective of those on two wheels (motorised or not), we are far more vulnerable than any car driver, and are subject, statistically, to far more risk of poor driving due to the larger number of cars out there. We who carry these cameras are not interested in brining a particular demographic down, we are interested in a small extra measure of protection afforded to us by the fact that anything that does occur, does so on film. And you'd be surprised how often that makes people straighten up when they see a camera.
The fact is, we're all equally entitled to the road. Arguments about things like whether cyclists pay road tax are irrelevant. No-one pays road tax. You pay vehicle duty on anything motorised, but that has nothing to do with how the roads are funded.
Cyclists are allowed to be on the road. You should respect them and be careful of them, because they are the most vulnerable of us. They're still people, they aren't simply obstacles.
Car drivers are allowed to be on the road. You should respect them and ride/drive in a manner that causes little interference in what they do. They're still people, not simply hazards.
Bikers are allowed to be on the road. They sit somewhere in between the two, demanding some caution and respect, whilst the onus is still on them to ride with the pack sensibly.
We are all just people, trying to get on with life of the roads, and there really should be enough room for us all. Cameras aren't out there to persecute, they're out there to keep us all on the straight and narrow. I'd applaud and encourage anyone to have one when they are on the run, be it cyclist, biker, or car. I encourage scrutiny, because hopefully it will lead to us all being that bit better on the road.
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