Police's response to road rager hitting me

[SportMonkey]

So, the road rager hit me, he was mouthing off, there's a witness and there is CCTV, I get the following templated response, which negates me from doing anything, because they won't even divulge the insurance company.

"The Crown Prosecution Service (C.P.S.) do not call for a prosecution in every case where the incident is of the type that frequently occurs at parking places or in traffic queues, involving minimum carelessness, including cases where there is evidentially a realistic prospect of conviction."
...
"Therefore, a restricted investigation shows that all the documentation is in order for the driver, vehicle and owner. As this is a minor collision, the Insurance Policy details for the other party are subject to Data Protection, your Insurance Company will supply this information to you."

Now, if it was truly data protection then they would be as readily able to supply the data as my insurers, if I had cycling insurance.


Are any of the police on here able to tell me what to do, I feel once again let down by the GMP. A driver that goes out of his way to attack a cyclist, and there is proof thereof, I feel should be taken off the road.

 

[gaz]

Hit you as in punched you?

Either way, the response seems laughable.

 

[SportMonkey]

No, manoeuvred his car to make sure it hit me.

______
Original post (http://cyclechat.net/threads/once-twice-and-hit-on-the-third-attempt-by-a-car.103117/):

On the A56, westbound just past Old Trafford some idiot, overtakes, and tries to squish me, does the same after the next lights, so I stay in the middle, he goes past, I pull in and he emergency brakes so I go in the back of him. Got a witness and registration hopefully. If any of you saw a tit in red and black waiting outside the Vauxhall garage, that was me.

Arses.

 

[sabian92]

That's driving without due care and attention or dangerous driving. Write back to them refusing to accept it and push it. Threaten to go to the IPCC with a complaint as well and see how they change their tune!

 

[terry_gardener]

seems the police and the CPS just cbfa since it only involves a cyclist.

 

[CopperCyclist]

PM sent to Sportmonkey with my advice.

The main problem is that as with all offences/incidents, victims/normal people/police would like the offenders to be dealt with much more strongly than our justice system normally advocates. It's extremely rare for any driver to be prosecuted for a non injury, minimal damage RTC when they are licenced and insured.

Regardless, some parts of SportMonkeys case do need to be addressed, such as the fact that he should have been given the drivers details under the RTA, to allow him to progress the matter.

:edit: also, the above is true not just for 'cyclist matters', but for all RTAs, domestics, assaults, harassments.... etc

I'm sure you can easily hear the line "The police can't be arsed when it comes to (insert group here)" when normally, we are arsed, just handcuffed by the limitations of our system.

 

[SportMonkey]

Thank you very much CopperCyclist.

 

[BLUE(UK)]

If you have Legal cover on any vehicle,it could well cover you to pursue the matter. I had legal cover on my car which was used to pursue a matter when I was riding my motorbike.
Could be worth trying?

 

[fossyant]

Missed the original thread.

I had something similar, but the officer dealing with it was good - Longsight station. He advised I go for prosecution, but as a minimum, this would be intelligence on the car. Anyway, no CCTV, my word vs his, so they couldn't make anything stick. What did happen is that this incident got logged as intelligence, the officer also told me the car had 'history'.

Any damage/injury you could pursue ? - Bit late now ? The only thing you can do is complain and keep it up - you at least want them to pop round to the driver's address - I got this, driver admitted being there, but me 'waving my hand' was seen as aggressive - Explaining to an officer that an 80kg rider waving a hand (no fingers) isn't exactly aggressive when I driver starts driving at you with 1600kg plus of Golf V5 ?

Next time I don't think I shall bother reporting it - I may have to remove a few wing mirrors and shove them where the sun doesn't shine.

Sorry to hear this, doubt you'd get much further than an intelligence log.

 

[SportMonkey]

Any damage/injury you could pursue ? - Bit late now ? The only thing you can do is complain and keep it up - you at least want them to pop round to the driver's address - I got this, driver admitted being there, but me 'waving my hand' was seen as aggressive - Explaining to an officer that an 80kg rider waving a hand (no fingers) isn't exactly aggressive when I driver starts driving at you with 1600kg plus of Golf V5 ?

Next time I don't think I shall bother reporting it.

My guess is he will say he drove off as he was scared, I assume slightly more than 80kg of irate rider is a scary thing to a bloke in a car. I'm hoping they had a word. No real damage or injury; a slightly buckled front wheel but it still managed to do the Manchester 100.

I'll keep reporting it. If I hadn't been so shocked by him doing it I could have made it to the next set of lights for a "discussion" on road etiquette...

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

Presumably this is GMP you're dealing with? I had a similar type of response from some absolute arse at Stretford police station, criticising me for uploading footage to YouTube, saying I was speeding, that I shouldn't "zoom past people on the inside" (ie use a cycle lane to filter up to lights), all kinds of bollocks. I was livid and ready to complain about his behaviour.

Fortunately I met a much more sympathetic PC at the station and she had a colleague in Traffic who assured her that the driver in my footage was completely out of order. So she went around and bollocked the driver (a driving instructor no less).

My advice would be to speak with your MP.

 

[SportMonkey]

Presumably this is GMP you're dealing with? I had a similar type of response from some absolute arse at Stretford police station, criticising me for uploading footage to YouTube, saying I was speeding, that I shouldn't "zoom past people on the inside" (ie use a cycle lane to filter up to lights), all kinds of bollocks. I was livid and ready to complain about his behaviour.

Fortunately I met a much more sympathetic PC at the station and she had a colleague in Traffic who assured her that the driver in my footage was completely out of order. So she went around and bollocked the driver (a driving instructor no less).

My advice would be to speak with your MP.

My MP would be Warrington South, I do approximately 2 miles a day in his constituency. I do however do 24+ miles a day in Trafford, and I believe the letter did come from Stretford police station. I don't mind chasing up a MP, however I think he would easily argue that he has no jurisdiction over what happens in Trafford.

I had an incident with a driving instructor just past Stretford and would be willing to bet it's the same one.

 

[Drago]

Why would any bobby consult with a "traffic" officer? Apart from the driver training and use of the equipment, they get no additional training on the law, have no more knowledge or powers than any other half way competent bobby.

 

[Peowpeowpeowlasers]

My MP would be Warrington South, I do approximately 2 miles a day in his constituency. I do however do 24+ miles a day in Trafford, and I believe the letter did come from Stretford police station. I don't mind chasing up a MP, however I think he would easily argue that he has no jurisdiction over what happens in Trafford.

I had an incident with a driving instructor just past Stretford and would be willing to bet it's the same one.

Your MP has no jurisdiction over anyone really, but he/she will certainly know how to help you anyway. And an MP on a police officer's case is a lot more troublesome for GMP than a member of the public. As for the driving instructor:


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPz8DpTYBCA&feature=plcp

 

[SportMonkey]

Your MP has no jurisdiction over anyone really, but he/she will certainly know how to help you anyway. And an MP on a police officer's case is a lot more troublesome for GMP than a member of the public. As for the driving instructor:

Same section of road, opposite direction, same driving instructor for me, I was overtaking another cyclist. Most notably I argued with him after the student did it and I was told by the instructor that cyclist had to stay in the cycling lane.

It was in the short period I had a camera, but the camera had unfortunately failed and I didn't feel like recovering it from the FAT, I should have done now.