Camera reporting success

[Arjimlad]

I have recently reported three drivers to the police for close or dangerous overtaking.

The silver Fiesta is getting a warning/words of advice after I uploaded the footage to A&S Police's new dashcam upload site, and didn't take a "you could go on the cycle path" brush off first answer - the Chief Inspector in charge reviewed the matter and emailed me saying that the driving was totally unacceptable and he would be making the driver aware/warning her about her driving. He stated that it was an extremely inconsiderate & poor piece of driving and that the driver of the offending car needs to be educated. He also stated that as a cyclist I am entitled to use the road rather than the (useless, obstructed and dangerous) cycle path and should be able to do so safely.

The red Corsa had an interview in the station following a Notice of Intended Prosecution, after I emailed my local beat manager a link to the footage on Youtube. He knows the road and was shocked by the overtake around a blind bend where accidents frequently happen. After reporting back to me I was happy for her to have words of advice from the officer.

The HGV driver - images were sent on to the local officers but due to annual leave they didn't send out a NIP within 14 days, however the transport manager has been spoken to and will be hauling the driver in for an uncomfortable chat (or so he told the police). Especially as he ran a red light after passing me too close.

I hope that this may result in these particular drivers being more careful in future.

The police have encouraged me to upload more footage in future, too.

As I am in email contact with the head of road safety, if I get brushed off in the first instance, I can run it past him.

 

[Drago]

You'd think that with the proliferation of dash and cycle cams that people would behave, but they clearly isn't taking the hint.

 

[Arjimlad]

Perhaps a direct hint from the boys in blue will have the desired effect. The Corsa driver certainly overtook me very carefully last week.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I suppose it depends on how you define success.
I wouldn't be happy with offenders getting words of advice, or the police cocking up basic procedure, resulting in failure to be able to prosecute.

 

[mjr]

I suppose it depends on how you define success.
I wouldn't be happy with offenders getting words of advice, or the police cocking up basic procedure, resulting in failure to be able to prosecute.

It depends. Advice for a first (discovered) offence seems reasonable, especially if it includes "we would have prosecuted you except for a technicality - other people aren't so lucky".

 

[Arjimlad]

I suppose it depends on how you define success.
I wouldn't be happy with offenders getting words of advice, or the police cocking up basic procedure, resulting in failure to be able to prosecute.

If the driver's in denial then they get offered prosecution or a driving course... If I get another close pass, or another cyclist reports similar behaviour, then it'll be escalated beyond words of advice. This lot are now on record.

 

[numbnuts]

Do you have a “death wish”, I agree what you have done, but if it were me I'd been very worried on a dark night riding on my own. At the old age of nearly 66 I have learnt to keep my mouth shut and say nothing, but think “that was close thing, but I'm still alive”.
A big well done for reporting, and if more people like you carry on maybe, just maybe close passes will be less.

 

[Drago]

Known as a "Diddy Wheeler" by the police.

 

[Cycleops]

Don't knock them, they're getting dressed up as cyclists now and nabbing close passing motorists:
http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/12/under...rucker-for-driving-too-close-to-bike-6772386/

 

[winjim]

Don't knock them, they're getting dressed up as cyclists now and nabbing close passing motorists:
http://metro.co.uk/2017/07/12/under...rucker-for-driving-too-close-to-bike-6772386/

Interesting choice of video to illustrate the story.

 

[Drago]

So it was an undercover copper doing the left turn lane trick?

 

[Welsh wheels]

Well done, it all adds up in the fight for safer roads.

 

[mjr]

Do you have a “death wish”, I agree what you have done, but if it were me I'd been very worried on a dark night riding on my own. At the old age of nearly 66 I have learnt to keep my mouth shut and say nothing, but think “that was close thing, but I'm still alive”.
A big well done for reporting, and if more people like you carry on maybe, just maybe close passes will be less.

Too many motorists are already full of rage just because there's someone else on their road - have we got much to lose by reporting the ones who are incompetent as well? It's important we get the incompetent ones off the roads or to shape up before they hurt someone - possibly someone you care about.

 

[Arjimlad]

I don't think any of these drivers can be bothered to hunt me down. They're mostly just lazy & careless rather than in a rage.

This morning I rode past one who had close passed me in March very badly & made a load of feeble excuses. The police had words with her. Today she hung well back until she could pass me safely. Job jobbed as far as she's concerned.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

If the driver's in denial then they get offered prosecution or a driving course... If I get another close pass, or another cyclist reports similar behaviour, then it'll be escalated beyond words of advice. This lot are now on record.

We all have different expectations from reporting things to the police and if you are satisfied with the actions taken then I respect that.

[old man mode]
I've been cycling for ~45 years and commuting by bike for about 20 years. I've experienced every variation of bad driving there is, including two hit & runs and an assault by a passenger leaning out of the window of a dangerously driven car. It was primarily the crap police response to the assault that convinced me to start using a camera.

Despite that, I have a deep respect for the police and I know how poorly resourced and overstretched they are. It is for that reason that I don't report every piece of careless driving that comes my way, I save involving the police for incidents that put me at real risk of harm. Having this high threshold of reporting means that, for those I do report, I expect a prosecution or a fixed penalty to follow.

In the 8 or so years since first getting a camera, and of the many hundreds of episodes of bad driving around me, I have reported a total of three incidents to the police:

First was a close pass, rejected initially by a young cop who wasn't interested; the car didn't hit me so he couldn't see the problem. Insistence on a face to face meeting with him and his supervisor resulted in the driver getting a £100 FPN and 3 points.

Second was a left hook which the police immediately acted upon and charged the driver. They did, however, try to steer me towards approving a driver awareness course but I said I preferred prosecution or at the very least a £100 FPN plus points. I'm still waiting to hear which route they chose.

Third was a close pass just last week. Police agree it was a S3 offence and will interview the driver. I'm waiting for them to try to convince me that a warning will suffice when they find the driver is a little old white-haired lady in her 70s.

I hope the above explains why I wouldn't regard the outcomes of your incidents a success.