My Front and rear camera usefulness percentages

[GTA Driver]

Over the Holidays, I went thru the numerous "Event" files I recorded from my two channel dash cam. Eliminating clips which were just pot hole and bump in the road versus real clips such as red light runners. These clips were recorded between August 2015 and December 2015 of cases where I copied from my sd card to my computer.

When I run ffmpeg, I only want to extract the neccessary channel(s), I renamed the file to determine which files to seperate.

I renamed the files, keeping the time stamp file name, but adding text at the end stating the issue and what channel(s) the event(s) can be seen on. I did this so when i use FFMPEG, I know which channels I need to use.

Examples.

150430_062045_E1-dumpTruckRunningRed-fc.mp4
151204_071634_E1-InfrontOfParkingCops-3carsRunRed-CarYieldToPublicTransitBus-fc.mp4
150213_143732_E1-NearSideSwipe-ac.mp4
141129_091254_E1-CopTurnNoSignal-fc.mp4
151004_041651_E1-overYellowSolidLine-fc.mp4
150422_145814_E1-TailGate-rc.mp4


The text at the end (such as -fc) before the file extension, will help identify when I split the channels to seperate video clips, which camera do I need, front, rear or all channels. It would be too time consuming to look at all clips, when clips from only one camera is needed.

I inadvertenly discovered, for things I witness on the road, what camera is most useful or is all cameras useful

Anyway the stats on this:

Total Number of Clips 729
All channels 230 31.55%
Only front Channel 465 63.79%
Only rear Channel 34 4.66%


So, in my experience of recording videos, not on youtube just yet, the front camera alone is useful 64 percent of the time. If you have only a front camera and want to record interesting events, and run across the same on road craziness I do, a front camera will catch most of the stuff. However, for 31 percent of the I find I need both the front and rear. The remaining 4.6 per cent, was recorded strictly in rear camera. Why there are more cases of "All channels" is cases where I pass or am passed, both camera are suitable.

Of my 17 videos on Youtube (with 1 being private), I use all channels 8 times and the front channel 9 time. So I use all both my front and rear channel close to 50 percent of the time.

Please note I don't have a side camera.

In terms of the accidents I was involved in, I actually find the rear channel to be the most useful as I have been rearended more than my share of times as I come to complete stops at redlights and get in front the driver looking looking to the side. For my wife, when she got into an accident in the car that did NOT have a dash cam, a side cam would have been suitable as she was hit from the side when making a turn.

There are numerous youtube videos which have the front channel only. However, given my wife's and my own experience, you never have enough dash cams on your car if you have one or less.

 

[ddnut]

Interesting data. I have a question on the cases where you use both cameras. Do you find that both the front and rear are required to provide a complete picture or that having the second camera is helpful? I know that we miss quite a bit of the action behind us but I was not expecting that it would be that much.

 

[GTA Driver]

Interesting data. I have a question on the cases where you use both cameras. Do you find that both the front and rear are required to provide a complete picture or that having the second camera is helpful? I know that we miss quite a bit of the action behind us but I was not expecting that it would be that much.

I am going to go with it being required on my experience. I got into an accident on rear bumper weeks after buying my two channel Iroad, before I had the opportunity to take my car back to the dash dealer install the rear camera. His front right hand bumper (starboard) hit my left side (port) bumper and my Rav got a small scrape. Not a hard impact, didn't even set off the event feature on my camera. Other driver got out of his car, looked at my bumper, muttered something and just drove off without exchanging insurance. I followed him, got close enough to get the front camera to capture the license plate and announced the plate with the intent to get the audio on the front camera pick it up. To my horror, I found marks on my windshield and glare preventing the plate from being readable and I had the audio off.

I should have written down the license plate and not be as stingy on the windshield wiper fluid. A rear camera would have shown the impact, what he was doing (possibly texting) and had video establishing he was there.

In November, got rearended again on a right on red, this time much harder. Front camera shows me yielding to traffic that has right of way, rear camera shows the other driver driving right thru the solid line before the crosswalk (as is required by law), looking to his left for three seconds, therefore unable to see I was stopped.

My sister and sister in law both got in accidents on right hand turns with someone hitting them from the side. One claims she had the right of way on the traffic signals and the other claiming the other car just made a U turn. I told both of them a dash cam would have been helpful and both replied no as the collision happened to their side. A side camera would have shown the impact, but a front at least would have shown they did indeed have right of way with the traffic signals.

A front camera will show you are obeying traffic signals, whereas a side or rear will show what the other car has or has NOT done.

 

[Deleted member 46308]

Front cameras are definitely a plus, and back and sides would also be extremely useful. Minimum for me are front and rear.

 

[ddnut]

A front camera will show you are obeying traffic signals, whereas a side or rear will show what the other car has or has NOT done.

Thanks for the examples. I have the same thinking - the assumption is that someone who rear-ends you is at fault but I agree that it would be quite beneficial to have a record of what the other driver was doing. The more evidence the better.

Front cameras are definitely a plus, and back and sides would also be extremely useful. Minimum for me are front and rear.

I have two - I just need to find a better mount for the Mobius than my DIY attempt. I did not read far enough into that section and did not see the bicycle helmet mount until last week.

Now if I can only keep it to two ... must restrain myself ...

 

[ftpGuy]

Interesting. Thanks for taking the time and sharing with us GTA Driver.