Abusive Motorist

[vickster]

Definitely report it, it’s incidents like these which make having a camera useful

 

[Spiderweb]

@Distorted Vision You have to report this, small minded idiots need to be named and shamed.

 

[ColinJ]

Yes - REPORT!

The police may already have reports on this idiot; your report might be the one that gets them to do something about him.

 

[Brandane]

The Police might not be too interested in the aggressive driving, or even the "get off the road" bit; BUT - the racism element will make their ears prick up very quickly, and you can be sure it will be taken seriously. At the very least I would think it warrants a visit by the Police, and possibly a criminal charge as well.

 

[Profpointy]

We often malign the police, but it's worth mentioning the good side too. My elderly father was recently conned out of a fairly small amount of money by a dodgy "tradesman". No big deal, but the neighbour reported it to the police, who did visit, took details, and gave my dad leaflets and advice, to reduce the risk in future (chain on the door, never agree to anything from strangers and other common sense stuff). Fair play, this was a very minor loss, which he and I might have dismissed as "put it down to experience", but the police did see targeting a somewhat vulnerably old gentlemen as something they'd take an interest in. OK they'll not get the guy for this as a one off, but as part of a pattern, he'll likely get lifted eventually

I'd see racially agravated threats and abuse described above as rather more serious, so again, he may well get off this time, but his name will come up once too often and he'll be in the shoot.

 

[cyclintom]

I've returned to cycling after a hiatus because of an injury to my knee. On my first bike ride yesterday a horrible abusive motorist tried knocking me off my bicycle and shouted,

"Get off the road you fat p*ki"

Fortunately I had my Garmin VIRB action camera recording so I have video footage. I'm wondering if the police would take it seriously if I made a report?

The swearing wouldn't draw much actions but trying to push you off of the road would. As far as I know this is against traffic laws in all 50 states. ALWAYS report cases like this or the next person killed may be by this same driver.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

The racist element will get traction in any force, so definitely report it. Shouting at a cyclist out of a car can easily meet the evidence bar for assault in certain circumstances, depending on how threatened you felt or what you thought he might do, definitely push this. Whether he tried to run you off the road is down to the video evidence but certainly let the police know you wish to take action. Best wishes with it.

And keep on cycling, don't let this put you off. It's very, very rare that we face something this bad.

 

[Peter Salt]

Well... We could have a debate whether that's how things should be or not, but:
- abuse because you're a cyclist probably wouldn't get attention,
- abuse because you're an ethnic minority and there were racial slurs most definitely will.
Call the police non-emergency number and they will treat it seriously.

 

[postman]

yes report it,it might even shock his own family to know what sort of person he is.

 

[Scotchlovingcylist]

All of the above, report it.

Most of all dont let it put you off

 

[newfhouse]

I agree with the hive mind. Please, don't forget to come back and tell us how you get on.

 

[Chislenko]

It seems odd that "abusive motorist tried knocking me off my bicycle" is deemed less serious than verbal regardless of the context of the verbal.

 

[Chris S]

It seems odd that "abusive motorist tried knocking me off my bicycle" is deemed less serious than verbal regardless of the context of the verbal.

Racial abuse is easier to prove than dangerous driving. This driver had his charges downgraded from assault to dangerous driving, then to driving without due care and attention because it stood a better chance of getting a conviction. The whole incident was recorded as well.
https://road.cc/content/news/shocking-footage-road-rage-driver-trying-ram-cyclist-290825

 

[Distorted Vision]

I've decided to report it to the police but I'm not going to upload the footage to YouTube in case it jeopardizes my case.

 

[vickster]

I've decided to report it to the police but I'm not going to upload the footage to YouTube in case it jeopardizes my case.

Definitely do NOT upload other than to a police database (check your local force’s process carefully)