We are sharing one of our veteran CyclistVideoEvidence.com member’s inspirational email correspondence with a cyclist who recently began riding with cameras, hoping it will also inspire you to ride with cameras and report near miss incidents to our free Incident Management System. The subject line was: Bike Videos That Had an Impact!
From: chuck
Date: February 17, 2026
To: Steve
Subject: Re: Bike Videos That Had an Impact!
Wow Steve, you've inspired me, what you've done is fantastic! And a great community service. But also more than a bit intimidating. I struggle for time now between all the things I do. But you've laid out a terrific roadmap, so I want to try to make my own progress. I will definitely stay in touch...
For what it's worth, I can say that I've experienced close or uncomfortable passing on all of the spots highlighted on your map, along with dangerous passing when a vehicle passing me uses space in the opposing lane even with oncoming vehicles. I really want to help build a library for educating cyclists, motorists, and law enforcement. You rock!
C
Hey, Chuck.
It's exciting to hear that you're riding with cameras on your bike! I only know of a couple people in Placer County that ride with a rear camera, but no one that rides with a front camera or does anything with the resulting video. So, I'm hoping that this email will encourage you to keep going with it, by highlighting what's possible.
I've made a number of bike videos that have had a real impact, but it didn't start out that way. At first, I just stored video segments of near-misses on a hard drive, because I didn't know what else to do with them. Then, I found a website for cyclists using cameras, https://www.cyclistvideoevidence.com/. Cyclist Video Evidence provides a tool to log incidents and create a composite map of them. So, I started logging all my documented incidents onto that website, including the old ones that I'd stored up.
I've attached a copy of my map from Cyclist Video Evidence, showing locations of all the incidents I'd logged, as of last April. Multiple incidents in the same general location show up as a number in a circle - up to 10 (TEN!) on one short stretch of Rocklin Road in Loomis. I've pulled out a copy of this map a number of times and passed it around during meetings with municipal officials to emphasize the ongoing danger that we face as cyclists.
I also invested in a couple software applications that I use to merge video clips into a story worth telling. Wondershare Filmora video software had positive reviews for having good features, being easy to use, and relatively inexpensive, so I purchased a license and quickly learned how to use it. (I'm now using a copy that's at least 5 versions old, but that's OK - I'm trying to present evidence, not dazzle with AI created special effects.) I also use TechSmith software for screen captures.
I've attached a link to another video that made a difference. In this case, the perpetrators of a near-miss were two firetrucks in a hurry to get back to their fire station. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCvHHTc8Ok8&t=1s.
I didn't expect this video to go anywhere but, by chance, I met the District Fire Chief a few months later at a community meeting. I told him about the incident and resulting video and he asked me to send him the link to my YouTube video of the incident. I caught up with the Fire Chief a few months later and he stated that he'd sat down with the firemen driving the trucks, showed them the video, and had a conversation with them. Then, he made my video part of the district's training material!
I have more success stories, but they've only come with consistency over a long period of time. I always ride with cameras and I always look for opportunities to push the message out on the danger of near-misses. My videos have made it to the CHP, County Sheriff's Deputies, County Dept. of Public Works, City and Town Engineers, County Supervisors, community groups, traffic planning commissions, and other cyclists. Information from a couple of my videos have made it into posts on the Cyclist Video Evidence website.
One of my favorite stories: my near-miss videos resulted in a Sheriff's Deputy (who's a passionate cyclist) driving out to 3 different motorists' homes to confront them with documented evidence of the near-misses that they were responsible for. The deputy actually showed them my videos so they couldn't refute the evidence, then "educated them". I love this guy!
In another case, my video resulted in a hazardous intersection at the Rocklin/Loomis town border being redesigned, after I presented video of a harrowing incident to the City/Town Engineers of both jurisdictions. The Town of Loomis hired an engineering consultant to come up with a new plan for striping the intersection and it's approach, and the City of Rocklin contracted to have the intersection markings (and its approach) redesigned. Here's the link to that video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iv3YWrxXhfY&t=29s. I've also attached a couple photos of the finished product. That whole process, from near-miss incident to finished paint on the redesigned intersection, took 1.5 years, but resulted in an intersection that's now much safer for cyclists.
I'm not trying to brag here. I just wanted to let you know what's possible if you stick with it and leverage the evidence you're capturing by riding with video cameras. I'm impressed that you're using them and I want you to know what a powerful tool they can be. Managing the cameras, creating videos, reporting incidents, and the resulting outreach takes time and commitment. But, it can make a real difference!
Let me know if I can answer any questions or be of assistance,
Steve
Please share this article with everyone who cares about cycling safety.
Join our free membership to help make your community safer by riding with a camera and managing all of your near miss incidents in our free Incident Management System.
Wishing you safe cycling, walking, hiking and rollerblading!
That personal story of holding the Fire Department accountable with my video had an even happier outcome! Months later, I was passed by another fire truck on that same Placer County Road – this time headed to a REAL EMERGENCY! I made a video of that incident, too – just to let the Fire Chief know how well his crew had performed and to thank them. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CioStGbKv2g.
Steve (Boz)
Placer County, California
Whew, what a relief to learn that following up with people after recording these close calls can change how others drive. Thank you!
Thanks for also sharing your stories of changing local government. Just in my ring road from my neighborhood that is a feeder road to a highway. It took nine months to get “share the road” signs and painted arrows on the ground with the county. Then at the intersection to cross that highway it took another 18 months for the Florida Department of transportation (state level) to install a blank out sign that notifies traffic that I’ve pressed the pedestrian crosswalk. It’s really helped reduce the amount of close calls I have as I cross that intersection four times a day to bike my kids to school and back in my urban arrow cargo bike. Takes a lot of patience and consistent follow through using iCalendar reminders to notify the personnel, but it’s worth it. Every time I see that blank out sign light up whether I’m crossing or another school kid is crossing. I feel justified that I’m helping a little bit.
Wow Steve–impressive and thanks for the good work. I always ride with a rear camera but not always a front. I had mixed results in influencing law enforcement. I did succeed in attaining an apology from an officer who tried to “teach me a lesson” with a close pass. He was smug when I caught him at a red light and asked why he passed so closely, eating peanuts from a bag. I told him I filmed his dangerous pass and he changed his tune. I reported him and the Sheriff agreed to educate his officers–cannot confirm it happened. Video here https://youtu.be/Y8qmV2wR440. I had another officer violate the 3′ passing law near Napa but could not eek out an apology. I had to go to the head of Golden Gate division of CHP to get a response. I was pretty disappointed in that response. Here is that video https://youtu.be/5gDlvRn15as
CHP is our local traffic enforcement and they send out warning/education letters for 3′ violations and I probably sent out >100 over the years but not so many in recent times. I ride in traffic less as I no longer escort my children to school and activities. I still ride but pick times with less traffic for errands. Thanks to Cyclist Video Evidence for convincing CHP to send those letters. I think it had an impact. We also now have a number of sharrows and “Bikes May Use Full Lane” signs that reinforce the idea that we can take the lane. I think people are starting to get it a little.
Great work to both you and Steve as inspirational members of the Cyclist Video Evidence community! Your excellent videos are objective evidence that our members have even had to educate law enforcement not to endanger cyclists lives by violating existing cycling safety laws.
You might want to check out the Cyclist Video Evidence store where you can purchase “Bikes May Use Full Lane” t-shirts, mugs, cards and stickers that you can wear and hand out to help educate the public.