GoPros Illegal ??? | GTAMotorcycle.com

GoPros Illegal ???

Prince

Prince

Banned
Word from friends in the US is that people with GoPros are getting pulled over in some states. The state police are saying that you're not allowed anything within (3" or 3 cm's (need to clarify)) attached to your helmet. They're afraid you might "close-line" yourself so-to-speak. It's laughable. The truth is they likely don't want traffic stops being recorded.
 
Maybe change thread to "sticking large objects on helmets might be illegal in some states". My GoPro is on my bike.
 
it's like that here now. You can't have anything attached to the outside of the helmet.
 
It's illegal to record police in some states. There was a video going around a while ago where a plain clothed cop pulled a rider over and pointed his gun at him, the rider wasn't running. The police department took a lot of flack and charged the guy for recording the stop under a wiretapping law, I believe. That's probably where people are getting the impression that GoPros are illegal.
 
At least it's not a country like the UK.. Over there, filming cops as they beat up on an innocent civilian is considered an act of terrorism.
 
redridernl said:
It's illegal to record police in some states. There was a video going around a while ago where a plain clothed cop pulled a rider over and pointed his gun at him, the rider wasn't running. The police department took a lot of flack and charged the guy for recording the stop under a wiretapping law, I believe. That's probably where people are getting the impression that GoPros are illegal.
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it's not illegal.. he did get charged but the charges were dropped.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Graber
 
What I'm hearing is cams only. Really, the adhesive isn't that strong that it could take your head off. GoPro should do a study to find out just what G-force a neck would experience as the adhesive breaks to fight this law. It's really all about the popo not wanting to be recorded.
 
I wear mine on top of my helmet and in the serious crashes, the mount just seperated, camera bounced and rolled (kept filming) and when I regained consciousness and found the camera everything just went back together fine.

However, I did manage to clothesline myself once when I attempted to ride under my canopy at the track and it sort of got hung up.... Nothing more than emberassing.
 
Prince said:
Word from friends in the US is that people with GoPros are getting pulled over in some states. The state police are saying that you're not allowed anything within (3" or 3 cm's (need to clarify)) attached to your helmet. They're afraid you might "close-line" yourself so-to-speak. It's laughable. The truth is they likely don't want traffic stops being recorded.
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In Ontario a motorcycle helmet must have a "smooth, hard outer shell." Attachments to the helmet may be considered to invalidate this. Other jurisdictions specifically state that attachments are not permitted. This is to avoid neck injury and insure that the helmet's shell has not been compromised.

jc100 said:
Maybe change thread to "sticking large objects on helmets might be illegal in some states". My GoPro is on my bike.
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As is my Contour. Not as convenient or useful as a helmet camera, but I'd rather not run the additional risk of having my neck torqued, in a crash.

Splash said:
it's not illegal.. he did get charged but the charges were dropped.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Graber
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It was actually a bit iffy, as he breached their wiretap laws by their letter. It was largely the public outcry, that had the charges dropped, as it he was obviously charged as a tactic/revenge for posting it online. If you're at all worried, and there are laws in various places about voice recording people, disable the sound on your camera.
 
This is good to know. My GoPro is on top of my lid too. The plastic clasp that you slide into the mount broke once just squeezing the clasps and sliding it in place.

Could you really wrench your neck with one of these cams? GoPro should study how many foot lbs (or inch lbs) it would take to knock one off a lid. I'm thinkin' there's no way the camera adhesive or plastic would hold up to much of a blow.

rmemedic said:
I wear mine on top of my helmet and in the serious crashes, the mount just seperated, camera bounced and rolled (kept filming) and when I regained consciousness and found the camera everything just went back together fine.However, I did manage to clothesline myself once when I attempted to ride under my canopy at the track and it sort of got hung up.... Nothing more than emberassing.
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It's technically already illegal, but not because it's a camera. As Rob mentioned, which is pretty much worded the same in your motorcycle handbook, you're not allowed to "modify or attach things to your DOT helmet" because it may compromise the way it works.

Take the side mounted cameras for example and for whatever reason you may think of a rider goes down and smacks his/her head on the ground exactly where the camera is. The fact that there is an object there concentrates the force of the impact in a smaller area and can cause more damage to your helmet (which is transferred to the rider's face if it exceeds what that part of the helmet can sustain).
Without the camera (or any object for that matter, such as Scala devices) the impact is spread out over a greater area, thus the helmet does a more efficient job at protecting the rider as much as possible. (hope I explained it in a way that makes sense)

Although I understand the above and why there's a law against attachments, I still have a camera mount stuck to my helmet.
When I did my trip to Montréal I almost got effed up by a few cars and I'd prefer to have a recording of it if it ever happens.
I rarely put the camera on my helmet though, but the option is there.
I have a couple mounts on my bike and my favorite angle is done with the suction cup unit.
 
jeero said:
It's technically already illegal, but not because it's a camera. As Rob mentioned, which is pretty much worded the same in your motorcycle handbook, you're not allowed to "modify or attach things to your DOT helmet" because it may compromise the way it works.
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Wasn't there a thread last season or at the beginning of this one about people being harassed by the cops for foam mohawks attached to the outside of their helmets?
 
unL33T said:
Wasn't there a thread last season or at the beginning of this one about people being harassed by the cops for foam mohawks attached to the outside of their helmets?
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I think I recall that, yes. In Guelph perhaps? I think the OP of that particular thread was even going to the police department to ask in person about why his mohawk was considered illegal.
Lost track of that thread though. The shape of my helmet does not allow me to have a mohawk without it being all weird (there's a "spoiler" on my helmet) so I gave up on the idea of getting one myself.
 
The used the wiretapping law but there was no way he would have been convicted under it. That was bascially just intimidation.

There is nothing legally wrong with filming a cop doing his job in public. That being said you will probably get some hassle.
 
OpenGambit said:
The used the wiretapping law but there was no way he would have been convicted under it. That was bascially just intimidation.

There is nothing legally wrong with filming a cop doing his job in public. That being said you will probably get some hassle.
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Oh, there's absolutely no doubt that it was done purely for intimidation value. The problem is that the DA was also pushing it, so it might well have made it to court. I read through their wiretapping law, at the time, and *by the letter* he was guilty. Of course it was never intended to be used that way, and it likely would have gone the rider's way in court, but I never make bets on the American legal system. The stock market is cheaper.
 
I disagree with that.

I didn't think he was breaking the letter of the law actually. Thats because I don't think a cop having a conversation with someone he is giving a ticket to is a private conversation.

the wiretapping law only applied to private conversations.

That was my interpretation when I read it.
 
Seriously! Nobody thought to mention this in all the recent helmet cam threads? I wouldnt have bought one had I known it was illegal to mount to my helmet. How are people mouting to their bikes? I have a contour HD.
 
OpenGambit said:
I disagree with that.

I didn't think he was breaking the letter of the law actually. Thats because I don't think a cop having a conversation with someone he is giving a ticket to is a private conversation.

the wiretapping law only applied to private conversations.

That was my interpretation when I read it.
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Depends on whether it's a "one party" recording State, "officer performing his duties", etc..
 
I don't think the consent of both parties is the issue at all actually.

That would make filming anything in public illegal if that interpretation held up. The only legal question is whether that is a "private conversation".

Considering the implications on democracy as a whole if it was found to be a "private conversation" I would gladly bet that it wouldn't be considered one.
 
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