Car swerves at me - deliberately?

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HobbesChoice

New Member
Location
Essex
I think it's still a case of people who don't cycle don't appreciate, or properly consider, how easily we can feel we're in danger. The person swerving towards us knows they're kidding and knows how far they'll take it, but we don't. All we see is a car heading for us with no idea what's going to happen next, if it's a deliberate joke or if it's actually someone who's texting/fainted and doesn't realise they're heading straight for us.

It's been said so many times before, but I completely agree with the people who think that all drivers should get out on their bikes into the road just once so that they can appreciate what it's like to be a much more vulnerable road user. I was also guilty of not understanding the cyclists perspective before I started cycling. I never did anything that could have worried a cyclist as far as I'm aware, but I just didn't have that first hand perception of what it's like to be a cyclist.

The times I've spoken to drivers who've overtaken too close and I can see in their face that they genuinely can't see why I'm speaking to them about it.
 

02GF74

Über Member
if you have the number, report them.

police will do F.A.

many years ago I have yobs mount the pavement and drive at me!!! pity I didn't get the number but in these kind of situations you are relieved that you got off ok.

fortunately for me they did drive off so it was pretty deliberate - BASTARDS - I was fuming as you can imaging, looking in every pub carpark I cycled past.
 
661-Pete said:
Can't be sure about the 'deliberately', but earlier today I was shaking like a leaf.

No damage done but scary. Situation: car coming towards me at speed on otherwise empty road. Suddenly it veered onto my side of road, then just as suddenly veered back. I could swear the two youthful occupants were grinning at me. But was it done for fun, a bit of intimidation,

I am not condoning what im about to post .. merely throwing in a suggestion of why it might of happened !

I used to own a Suburu Imprezza and i belonged to a couple of forums for the Imprezzas and some of the members will traul through cycling and motorcycle forums looking for threads to quote on their forum ... stuff like chav imprezza driver threads etc etc im sure we've all seen them ?

It then becomes sport to scare as many cyclist's/motorcyclist's the following day and report your story on the forum in the evening

Pete i've no idea if this is what happened in your case but it does go on ... im glad your ok mate

Simon
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
HobbesChoice said:
It's been said so many times before, but I completely agree with the people who think that all drivers should get out on their bikes into the road just once so that they can appreciate what it's like to be a much more vulnerable road user.

They won't...... I talk to many colleagues/friends who think riding on the roads is far too dangerous........ erm.....who are making the roads 'dangerous'.......?
 

PBancroft

Senior Member
Location
Winchester
It's a bit like that joke punch thing you might have done as a kid. Y'know the one. You tap a mate on the shoulder and throw a punch at him, but stop an inch from his nose.

It's funny when you're a kid because of the shock and scared reaction your mate has as you swing at him.

It suddenly stops being funny when you completely misjudge the distance and smack him right in the fizzog. It's the sort of lesson you learn when you're about seven years old. Sadly it sounds like these twunts haven't grown up yet.
 

HJ

Cycling in Scotland
Location
Auld Reekie
mknash said:
This swerving at bikes thing is getting ridiculous. Though often said in jest, it seems that now even the most mild mannered people joke about liking to give cyclists a "little scare". This has happened a couple of times to me over the past year or so.

'er indoors recently had an altercation with a 60 year old secretary at her work who was making gags about it, "to keep them on their toes". the missus told her that she will remember that info for the inevitable manslaughter trial.

Could it be that what is still most probably humour to many has bled into a fun thing to do for others?

The was a court case the last year where a driver that he didn't think that giving a cyclist a little nudge would really hurt the cyclist (who then suffered a broken hip), the sad thing was the driver really believed it. Well until he got a prison sentence, there is some incredible stupidity out there.
 
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661-Pete

Guest
Thanks for all the replies, even the scary stuff! Of course I know there are idiots like this on the road, after all I've experienced them before.

Still undecided as to what really happened in my case, but my gut feeling points to a bit of deliberate larking about. But what of it? No harm was done to me (at least not physical). If the police pick it up it wouldn't go further than a caution, not on my evidence. What I want is something to make this driver think again. To make him think - not to do it again.

Maybe he did get that little 'reminder'. Maybe he (or his passenger) did see me stop and reach into my pocket. Maybe he thought: "Christ, that guy's going to shop us!" Maybe he turned round, to check up on whether I was actually making a phone call. Maybe when he saw I wasn't, he overtook me very carefully. Maybe he got the frighteners anyway. If so, job done.

Case closed, I think. Discuss the topic by all means, but I stop here as far as this driver's concerned. I shall still be vigilant as to future incidents of this kind, as we should all be.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
I was side swiped by a tw*t (SVM) in a silver transit van this morning. He thought it would be clever to drive right up to my rear wheel then to try to nudge me off the road as traffic was oncoming. Strangely the two previous vehicles, a 40ft scrap metal skip lorry/onion lorry and then a 16 tonnne lorry both gave me masses of room and I waived thanks in appreciation.

However back to the tw*t. I was looking back every other second at him, 4, 5, 6 times as he is getting closer and closer. He then almost clips my rear and thus forcing me right into the near side verge as he tries to force his way between me and the oncoming traffic. As he drew alongside I looked at the driver and noticed he had taken both hands off the steering wheel and was aggressively gesturing me to come on then and shouting "Get over you f*cking c*nt what's your problem!" When he was infront I shouted "4rsehole!" He was filtering right and I had to as well. He stopped his van although the way ahead was clear. His window was down and he was shouting a lot of filth at me and a middle digit came out of the window. There was a fair amount of traffic around, so I rode up to his window to ask what the hell he thought he was doing? He leaned out his window swearing at me reaching with his arm with his middle finger extended toward my chest.

Me "Do you normally drive like that?

SVM "I didn't touch you, you f*cking c*nt!"

Me "You almost had me off back there!"

SVM "F*ck o .....ff c*nt I was no where near you!"

Me "Do you have a brother, son or best mate? How would they feel with you driving like that around them?

SVM "F*ck off you ****! You shouldn't be taking up road space w*nker"

Me "Don't you think when you look back on today on what your did. Friday - went out in van and knocked down and killed a cyclist or even assaulted one?

SVM "I didn't f*ckin touch you 4rsehole. If you can't take it you shouldn't be on the roads!"

Me "You were driving far too close to me you should have given me much more space! And less of the bad language!"

SVM "F*ck off you c*nt! Get in front of my van and I'll show you how much room you should have!"

SVM then drives on slowly as he has been in the middle of the road holding eveyone up. He's looking in his mirrors for me following crawling along the road which has nice detached houses either side. I don't get too close as he may slam his brakes on. The guy then suddenly pulls off onto the nearside in the entrance to a pub car park, driver's door opens, he jumps out,stands by the edge of the road and starts shouting and swearing at me. I have to stop as he will probably jump at me or get back in his van and drive over me.

SVM now really aggressively I felt he was going to hit me, so I get the bike, Brommie this time, between me and him which stops him.

Me "So what you going to do now? Add assault to your already dangerous driving? I have got your number plate and will call the police!"

SVM starts jabbing his finger at my chest still shouting, swearing and threatening me that he will have me.

Me "Your just itching to hit me now aren't you? It wouldn't be that clever would it given those witnesses over there (He looks and I grab my camera). I can show the police what you like now!" SVM's attitude changes immediately and he backs away from me, heads back to his van.

SVM "F*ckin' call the police they'll do f*ck all! You f*ckin 4rsehole "

Me "Well they might not take that view once they've seen this footage"

SVM gets back in his van starts playing up for my camera. Sticks both his middle fingers up as he leans forward over the steerig wheel shouting "You "F*ckin c*nt, get in front of my van!" to the camera, revs the engine and gestures me to ride in front of him with an evil I will run you down look. Little does he know the camera has sound and is on video mode. All excellent footage. Jus tdying to show the police and put it up on here and youtube.

SVM drives off up the road, after about 100yds, he slows right down and pulls into the left. I faff around putting my camera back into it's case and back into my pannier. Another old lady cyclist goes by me. I follow a bit behind her whilst SVM up ahead pulls away slowly. Old lady on a bike is obscuring his view back of me. I reach the path off to the left I need to take turning down it where he cannot follow even a near by route.

I would say SVM was about 45-50 years old, white, skin head, typical chunky thug Brit male look.

When I got home this evening was dying to see whether I had got the reg to call the police as although I told him several times I had his reg which I did have, I couldn't now remember it. So looked at the camera "No Memory Stick" appeared across the screen :biggrin:. I didn't put it back last night when I was trasferring a few pics to my PC. Drat! Double drat!!

I'm sick of the bullying by these types on the road.

Today I must have seen between 25-30 drivers on the phone whilst driving, a taxi driver doing a crossword on his knee as he drove toward me in town, cut up by two fascist 4x4s and tonight another woman who was on the phone who very nearly didn't stop at a red light driving into me. Later I was very close passed by a BMW/Audi type car travelling very fast. It sounded like a V8. Nearly home another tw*t in Mercedes 4x4 came steeming from a side road but right at the last second saw me as he was about to pull out into my path and right off way and slammed on his brakes and blew the horn long and hard. Quite how didn't see me until the last last fraction of a second is bizarre as he would have seen my lights, hi-viz vest and patches on my front panniers and bar bag glowing in the dark from the headlights of oncoming cars.

What is the best head cam? How do prices compare with an AK47?
 

Sheffield_Tiger

Legendary Member
Crankarm said:
I was side swiped by a tw*t (SVM) in a silver transit van this morning.

<snip> quoted to signal which post I'm replying to

Remarkably restrained on your part I have to say. I'm not violent in an aggressor way but in your situation I have to concede that fear would have quite possibly prompted me to strike first perhaps with a bike swung facewards when the chest poking started
 
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661-Pete

Guest
Makes me wonder whether to resurrect the ATC2K which I bought two years ago and have used - precisely - once :biggrin:. Since then it's been gathering dust on a shelf at home - rather a waste. Just that I lost the motivation to record my meagre cycling....:wacko:
 
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