Do I call the police?

[Bicycle]

I don't for a moment criticise anyone for suggesting this should go to the Police; it's just that I wouldn't do so myself.

I realised as I typed that I was in the minority, but the OP was looking for some input.

There was a sort of fashion for these passing slaps from motorists in my London suburb when I was younger. I used to dislike it, but never thought much about it.

I understand the implied proximity of the passing car and I do realise what might happen if someone swerved...

It's just that I generally don't report this sort of thing.

I'm still slightly bamboozled about how the slap was administered by the driver's side passenger. OP, was this car passing you on the left?

If so, that might worry me more than the slap...

 

[baldycyclist]

Might have got my side mixed folks
He passed me on my right - front passenger slapped me.

It is quite narrow and most people recognise that I go fast enough for them to wait and pass when safe - the northern drivers tend to be pretty cool dudes...even lorry drivers (same ones from keugal nuer drive by me very wide most mornings)

I think the thing today was that it was damp so I went for the drier bits of the road which tend to be a foot further in the road than normal secondary position.

Hope it was not a student or things could get messy now!

It could have been really nasty but thankfully was not - I think a finger wagging from the bobbies might help.
Helmet cam now being shipped!

 

[semislickstick]

If you stick a smaller cheaper camera on your right handlebar facing backwards it captures the moment. I've captured one recent *joke* hand grab before actual contact. I'd see it as sexual assault if someone made contact. I'm not putting up with that.

 

[cloggsy]

stupid girl needs a decent bollocking in front of said parents, headmaster involved and the driver needs a visit from the police for his / her obvious involvement in the incident.

+1

 

[baldycyclist]

If you stick a smaller cheaper camera on your right handlebar facing backwards it captures the moment. I've captured one recent *joke* hand grab before actual contact. I'd see it as sexual assault if someone made contact. I'm not putting up with that.

might just do that
any recommendations for a cheap one considering that I have spent over £120 tonight due to some muppet thinking my rear is worth a touch....must be the bibs making my bum look nice!

 

[sabian92]

You do realise that it's a sexual assault, and you can be forced to sign the Sex Offenders' List for it?

I hope she is, simply for thinking that it's appropriate and for thinking it's funny.

 

[Cubist]

might just do that
any recommendations for a cheap one considering that I have spent over £120 tonight due to some muppet thinking my rear is worth a touch....must be the bibs making my bum look nice!

Ebay MD80's. Cost about a tenner.

 

[pshore]

Crikey, how close do you think they were as they passed ?

Arm length 2ft reaching for your derriere, minus half your width 1ft ... could have been as little as 1ft away from you elbow at 20+mph. I'd report them for that even without the contact.

Some people may be able to brush this off, but most of the population don't cycle for fear of traffic.

 

[semislickstick]

might just do that
any recommendations for a cheap one considering that I have spent over £120 tonight due to some muppet thinking my rear is worth a touch....must be the bibs making my bum look nice!

I've been using a veho muvi(don't get the pro version, time stamped and the battery didn't seem as good) which you can get for £40,(using a cheapo deal extreme torch swivel thingy to mountMy link) I found the MD80 a bit hit and miss, 2 dead within weeks.
I've just got the HD #11 jumbo keychain spy cam (look up http://chucklohr.com/808/C11/? for the official distributors on ebay 100-120mins battery?), which saves more detail and is about £27 but takes about 4 weeks to arrive, it is about the size of a car electronic key/alarm fob. I've been using 3m dual lock and maybe a bit of superglue to attach it to the bike.
Sticking it the far right handle bars also shows that you were/weren't signalling right, should that ever be useful.

 

[benb]

I've been using a veho muvi(don't get the pro version, time stamped and the battery didn't seem as good) which you can get for £40,(using a cheapo deal extreme torch swivel thingy to mountMy link) I found the MD80 a bit hit and miss, 2 dead within weeks.
I've just got the HD #11 jumbo keychain spy cam (look up http://chucklohr.com/808/C11/? for the official distributors on ebay 100-120mins battery?), which saves more detail and is about £27 but takes about 4 weeks to arrive, it is about the size of a car electronic key/alarm fob. I've been using 3m dual lock and maybe a bit of superglue to attach it to the bike.
Sticking it the far right handle bars also shows that you were/weren't signalling right, should that ever be useful.

Good idea on the mounting. I had always planned to mount a second camera on the rack or seatstay.

 

[John the Monkey]

Some people may be able to brush this off, but most of the population don't cycle for fear of traffic.

Baffles me.

This is a properly stupid, dangerous action by the driver & passenger. They need to be dissuaded from doing it to someone else, or escalating to something "funnier".

 

[Bicycle]

might just do that
any recommendations for a cheap one considering that I have spent over £120 tonight due to some muppet thinking my rear is worth a touch....must be the bibs making my bum look nice!

Gosh... I can see I'm not as outraged by this as some other members of the cycling community.

But really, you didn't spend £120 because someone slapped you. You spent it beecause you wanted to.

It won't stop it happening again (cameras are hard to see) and the absence of a camera didn't stop you reporting it.

I'm worried by this talk of the SOR. If, as you suggest, this was a teenager having fun at the expense of a member of staff at their college.... a talking-to by the Police seems about the strength of it (if not slightly harsh). But the SOR?

Such use of the SOR may be defended by people saying "What if it was a pedestrian passing you as you walk down the street?" or "What if it had been a middle-aged man driving past a young wman?"

It wasn't.

 

[400bhp]

SOR?

I can see your point Bicycle, but if for nothing else, she needs telling not to do this type of thing.

 

[John the Monkey]

I'm worried by this talk of the SOR. If, as you suggest, this was a teenager having fun at the expense of a member of staff at their college.... a talking-to by the Police seems about the strength of it (if not slightly harsh). But the SOR?

I'd not worry. The Police & then CPS will decide whether it's appropriate or not, not the posters to this forum.

Again, I'm mystified by your contention that "...this was a teenager having fun..." and that a "...talking-to by the Police seems ...slightly harsh."

Is it because the OP was on a bike? I'm genuinely puzzled here. If you smack someone's arse "for fun" in almost any other context, you'll either be collecting your teeth from the floor, or having a long talk with the boys in blue, at minimum.

You're right, it's not like it happening on the street, as it's happening at speed, in a context where the slightest misjudgement by the idiots in the car could have seen the OP being severely injured - so surely that would be more serious, right?

 

[Hip Priest]

What she did was stupid and dangerous. A word from plod might deter them from doing it again. However, anyone suggesting that the girl should be put on the SOR wants to have a word with themselves. Would you really want a young girls life ruined over this? Glad you're ok anyway, OP.