Flock and Axon Cameras side-by-side and NOT CRASHWORTHY
The short version: Roadside safety advocate Steve Eimers compares Flock and Axon camera poles side-by-side, arguing neither meets crashworthy engineering standards and both pose a hidden hazard to drivers.
Our Take
Steve Eimers has spent years pushing for safer roadside hardware after losing his daughter to a non-crashworthy pole, so when he turns that expertise on Flock and Axon cameras, it's worth paying attention. His side-by-side comparison raises a question almost nobody in the surveillance debate asks: who's actually checking whether these poles are engineered to break away safely if a car hits them, the way street signs and light poles are supposed to be?
That question matters because these cameras are going up fast, often on existing poles or newly installed hardware approved through private vendor contracts rather than normal transportation safety review. When companies can bolt license plate readers onto roadside infrastructure with little public scrutiny of privacy impact, it's not a huge leap to find physical safety getting the same rubber-stamp treatment. Surveillance expansion and corner-cutting tend to travel together.
Credit to Eimers for bringing an engineering lens to a conversation usually dominated by privacy and policing concerns. It's a reminder that every one of these devices sits on public right-of-way, funded and sited with minimal transparency. If you want to see how many are near you, check our camera map, and if you think your city council should be asking harder questions before approving the next contract, our take-action page has steps to get started.
This is DeFlock The USA’s original commentary. The video above is the work of Steve Eimers Roadside Safety Advocate, published on YouTube — full credit to the creator.