Police bid to ban cameras on helmets dumped after challenge

A court has dumped a police charge that would have made tens of thousands of weekend leisure bike riders regulation breakers.

At prison difficulty became the growing exercise of bikers — on-avenue and rancid-avenue — recording their trips on an movement camera connected to their helmets.

Max Lichtenbaum, fifty seven, did this even as running at a bike marshal at a sporting occasion final 12 months. He had two cameras.

He changed into pulled over via police and given a price tag for “fail to wear an accredited helmet”. At a Frankston, Victoria, court docket in September, 2015, he become fined $289 and given three demerit factors on his licence.

Mr Lichtenbaum fought the penalty and last Friday a County court docket in Melbourne observed in his favour. If it hadn’t, all Victorian bike riders with a helmet GoPro or other movement digital camera might be fined. And all 700,000 Australians with bike licences could have been vulnerable.

The crackdown could have unfold to other jurisdictions as there may be a mishmash of helmet requirements a number of the states.

this will be notwithstanding a broad settlement that cameras are beneficial for road protection motives, and will record accidents wherein motors hit riders — the same old “Sorry mate, I didn’t see you” incident.

Damien Codognotto, spokesman for the impartial Riders’ organization which had supported Mr Lichtenbaum, estimates as many as 30,000 riders a weekend could be out driving in his state, many with motion cameras.

“i was upset that the street safety advantages from helmet cameras did no longer get a mention within the County court docket. apparently these subjects have been deemed beside the point by using the magistrate on the Frankston hearing,” Mr Codognotto told news.com.au.

“It appeared to me essential that the court docket heard that Max became behaving in a most responsible way via the usage of a helmet camera to document issues in traffic.

“Police inspire bicyclists to use helmet cameras, even though how this outcomes their helmet wellknown, I do no longer know. Pushbike riders have recorded the rider’s view in the moments main up to a crash. I’m advised this photos has been used as proof in courts to convict street customers doing the wrong element.

“Police use helmet cameras when detecting in-vehicle offences including failure to use toddler restraints, seat belts and cell phone offences. This works specifically properly in WA. This use also makes helmet cameras road protection gear.

“The purpose the digicam is best while installed at the helmet instead of at the chest or on the bike is that helmet cameras record what the rider sees so if you take a look at a trouble you could record it.

“As for helmet integrity, this is weakening its shape, nowadays’s cameras are very small and mild and glues strong. Drilling holes in helmets to mount things is surely a no-no.”