Aggressive driver - what should I do?

[ufkacbln]

I was approached in the pub one night by a guy who accused me of "making his 80 year old father give up driving"

Apparently I had "grassed him up" to the Police by reporting him

They had been round and shown him the video and explained how poor his driving was and he had agreed, and decided to give up driving

 

[simongt]

There are those motorists who are so far up their own testosteroned a###holes. that no amount of reason / logic/ politeness will be of ANY use whatsoever. Better to just 'walk away' regardless of how unjustified it may seem to you. In my limited experience, such individuals are usually of a fairly solid build and have a short fuse to go with it. So, unless of course, you are fortunate enough to be of a more solid build than them - ! But then, car vs. bike a bit further along the road - ?

 

[Hip Priest]

Never, ever escalate things. If you must have a word, just speak calmly and evenly. I remember a helmet cam vid where a rider was filtering down the left, but was forced to go around a van which was close to the kerb. He shouted something naughty at the driver, and then spent the rest of the vid getting chased all over town.

 

[MattDB]

I was approached in the pub one night by a guy who accused me of "making his 80 year old father give up driving"

Apparently I had "grassed him up" to the Police by reporting him

They had been round and shown him the video and explained how poor his driving was and he had agreed, and decided to give up driving

Better that than he's arrested after he's run someone over completely!

 

[Smurfy]

I bought a camera for this sort of thing, but it always feels like a lot of trouble running it for hours a week, to catch the few seconds of idiocy that occurs in an average week of commuting.

 

[400bhp]

Never, ever escalate things. If you must have a word, just speak calmly and evenly. I remember a helmet cam vid where a rider was filtering down the left, but was forced to go around a van which was close to the kerb. He shouted something naughty at the driver, and then spent the rest of the vid getting chased all over town.

The issue is that you can't guarantee what action will and won't escalate things. I've occasionally been met with the proverbial foaming at the mouth when confronting someone, before I've had a chance to speak. There's no hope with conversing sensibly with someone like that.

 

[User16625]

Never, ever escalate things. If you must have a word, just speak calmly and evenly. I remember a helmet cam vid where a rider was filtering down the left, but was forced to go around a van which was close to the kerb. He shouted something naughty at the driver, and then spent the rest of the vid getting chased all over town.

Chances are that the van driver was Bicycle Angry Man from page 1 and 2 of this thread. Cyclist might have spat at B.A.M while his van's window was down but this wasn't mentioned.

 

[TwickenhamCyclist]

I was approached in the pub one night by a guy who accused me of "making his 80 year old father give up driving"

Apparently I had "grassed him up" to the Police by reporting him

They had been round and shown him the video and explained how poor his driving was and he had agreed, and decided to give up driving

Thurs doing the octogenarian a bit of a favor in my opinion... must be difficult to decide to give up driving because of age

 

[Commuter12]

If enough people complain to their councils with this sort of thing they might think about cycle lanes

 

[shouldbeinbed]

If enough people complain to their councils with this sort of thing they might think about cycle lanes

FFS

harsh but true.

@Commuter12 even if they did get as far as thinking about them, they would be filtered through the perspective of a committee of people who have in all likelihood never ventured onto the roads on two wheels and have zero practical understanding of the notion of safe segregation. They'll also be prioritising cheap and nasty (sorry cost efficient and value to the rate payers) over effective and you'll end up with:

A) green paint or 3 inch high armadillos spaced 9 feet apart doing sod all to make you safer or more segregated from deliberate morons

&

B) A very satisfied road committee getting all warm and fuzzy at how much better they've made life for cyclists and they must do more of the same because it is cheap and easy and ticks a box on the road improvement form that says did you consider cyclists? nobody has died in the green gutter and they've still got gallons of the stuff.

that said I still try to engage positively and proactively with my council and was very supportive as it paid lip service to the notion of a cycling forum - lasted all of 3 meetings before dying of shame, each further apart than the last and increasingly farcical and stage managed like a Putin publicity video by couldn't give a toss councillors and mandarins that refused to engage even after having sought voluntary support and advice to get ins with the local cycling community then blanked every communication made.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

sorry for the political rant, but @roger06 I'm with the rest, whilst it'd be lovely to fantasise about setting fire to his nostril hair or crushing his car with him still strapped in it or whatever, you just lower yourself to his scum level and he has the expertise to beat you (maybe literally) at it.

You can report it to the Police but don't expect anything and having reported it, forget it and focus on the 9,999 decent passes & courteous drivers to this one bell end and cycle happy.

 

[slowmotion]

Just shout something highly offensive and revoltingly obscene at him....take a deep breath....and ride off and forget about it. That last bit's important.
It'll make you happier.

 

[BEHMOTH66]

Had a very very close call vs a bus yesterday reg YJ61YFU could catch up to see who the operator was it was in Salford/Manchester and this is the second close call with this very same bus and driver.
Last time I was in the primary riding up to a set of Red lights when the bus started to go out to over take then pull in while I was still in the lane. Luckily the car in the left hand lane seen what was happening and pulled back. I confronted the driver telling him he'd almost knocked me off my back.... His response " you shouldn't be driving in the middle of the lane" so I reported him to the gtr Manchester transport executive. I didn't get the operator's name just new it was a green single decker bus.
This time I was cycling about a 2 feet from the kerb when this bus actually hit my sleeve. The lights were a couple of hundred yards away so a quick sprint to catch the numpty as I got close yes the same number plate and as I got closer so I could see the driver..... the same driver. At this point the lights had changed and he turned so didn't even have chance to pull him. Last time I reported it because I didn't get the operators name will it be shoved to one side again? or is it even worth reporting?

 

[summerdays]

Had a very very close call vs a bus yesterday reg YJ61YFU could catch up to see who the operator was it was in Salford/Manchester and this is the second close call with this very same bus and driver.
Last time I was in the primary riding up to a set of Red lights when the bus started to go out to over take then pull in while I was still in the lane. Luckily the car in the left hand lane seen what was happening and pulled back. I confronted the driver telling him he'd almost knocked me off my back.... His response " you shouldn't be driving in the middle of the lane" so I reported him to the gtr Manchester transport executive. I didn't get the operator's name just new it was a green single decker bus.
This time I was cycling about a 2 feet from the kerb when this bus actually hit my sleeve. The lights were a couple of hundred yards away so a quick sprint to catch the numpty as I got close yes the same number plate and as I got closer so I could see the driver..... the same driver. At this point the lights had changed and he turned so didn't even have chance to pull him. Last time I reported it because I didn't get the operators name will it be shoved to one side again? or is it even worth reporting?

I'd report it, but the bus company should be able to identify the driver from the time and reg number.

 

[400bhp]

Had a very very close call vs a bus yesterday reg YJ61YFU could catch up to see who the operator was it was in Salford/Manchester and this is the second close call with this very same bus and driver.
Last time I was in the primary riding up to a set of Red lights when the bus started to go out to over take then pull in while I was still in the lane. Luckily the car in the left hand lane seen what was happening and pulled back. I confronted the driver telling him he'd almost knocked me off my back.... His response " you shouldn't be driving in the middle of the lane" so I reported him to the gtr Manchester transport executive. I didn't get the operator's name just new it was a green single decker bus.
This time I was cycling about a 2 feet from the kerb when this bus actually hit my sleeve. The lights were a couple of hundred yards away so a quick sprint to catch the numpty as I got close yes the same number plate and as I got closer so I could see the driver..... the same driver. At this point the lights had changed and he turned so didn't even have chance to pull him. Last time I reported it because I didn't get the operators name will it be shoved to one side again? or is it even worth reporting?

If you can you should report this one. His actions suggest a disregard for cyclists safety. He will have done this to other cyclists.