Todays Road rage incident

[Bigtallfatbloke]

This is the second time I have had to report an incident to the police. First time was when I was knocked off by a lorry, and today saw me at the wrong end of White van man.

I was cycling along the A road in primary (hi vis vest etc) all the other traffic was passing wide, no problems...when Zoom...a van came so close it brushed my right shoulder and I wobbled...I gestured to him that he was too close with an arm movement cleary showing him I though he should have moved further out.

he slammed on the brakes and wound down the passenger electric window..and yelled:

" What the ****...what you got to say to me...wot you saying tosser!!" (& various other choiuce words of wisdom)...we were travelling at 5miles an hour at this point on a busy road, I was being sandwiched between his van and the curb....whilst trying to stay upright I told him that I though he was too close...he explained violently " **** off...you tosser, I wasnt to close, you were to far out, this is a road...it's for cars not bikes you ****ing tosser!"

I ignored his comments and tried to avoid falling off...he started to pull away...then suddenly and deliberatly pulled the wheel left and tried twice to force me off the road hitting my right side once again. Then he sped off down the road.

...i got his registration and repeated it over out loud for ten minutes before calling into an esso station and asking the cashier for pen and paper. The cashier told me the time and the road name etc as well (clearly he knew the drill).

I Have reported this to the police, who described the incident as "road rage" (their words not mine)
The computer found a match to the van and they know who he is and his employer (company van).

They will be making a call.

....this was a shame because earlier on in th eride two hot looking 20+ girls sitting at the bus stop had called out at me and waved saying "Brilliant" We love you!!"....ok so they made a middle aged jerks feel good for a few moments, then this asswipe had to show up...oh well C'est la guerre

 

[domtyler]

I hope they throw the book at him.

 

[Saddle bum]

Let Plod sort out the tosser and you can go back for the totty.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I'm glad you got his number and reported him. Even if the police decide there is not enough evidence to prosecute, a knock on the door from a grim faced copper might be enough to make him think twice in future.

 

[Keith Oates]

I also hope the Police at least give him a good 'talking to'. However, annoying as it must be, Bigfella, the best thing is that you are not physically hurt, it could have been worse!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[yenrod]

Its easy to be intimidated by car drivers and I feel thats natural because your expending yourself physically & they arent so they are in the 'advantage but I was thinking of this and they arent as your fully warmed up for the fight (if it was to come to that) as these things usually are quite confrontational, Ive had a few.

The amount of times ive had a prob (which arent loads) but then not very long after ive wanted to very much harm them.

The secret in these situations is;

Not ride along with them - as they can take you out VERY easily !

Stop !

If they get out of the car its 50% damage potential reduced as they havent got the motor any more ! Its you and them & and they will feel very much exposed unless the level of rage is at the 'im gonna knock you out'... stage !

Their is also the possibility they will, upon seeing you next time, do something...?

Its so easily smart enough for me to say 'well, youve gotta navigate the roads smart so it doesnt come to this'..but we know thats not possible quite alot of the time though the look ahead and act ahead for the current situation you are in at that time...not detracting from your intelligence !

Its difficult out there...

And very hard to read what others are doing never mind keep out of trouble esp. if someone decides to totally disrespect you.

 

[andyoxon]

btfb, at least you managed to pass it to the police. Makes me fume just reading about it - I mean what if you had to avoid something on the road 2 secs before wvm shot passed. You do half wonder in situations like this that someone with his attitude is likely to try and jump out and get you with the nearest screwdriver...

 

[Dave5N]

What's the registration number?

 

[buggi]

Yea, he knew he was too close and in the wrong because he looked behind to check he hadn't hit you, and that why he saw you gesturing. Make sure you hassle the police to do something about it, because they never when i reported a similar incident and i wish i had really pursued it instead of calming down and letting it go. it still bugs me.

i always know when people know they come in to close coz they look in their rear view to see what's happened to me... and see me giving them the birdy and react.

 

[buggi]

it's a bit off topic, but i remember once having someone cut me up in my car just before a red light. i gave the V and, coz they were looking in their rear view, they saw me. he turned round in his seat and started mouthing off and i kind of gestured to him "come on then!"...

the fecker only got out of his car!

it was around the time when "road rage" was the in thing in the media. i nearly sh!t myself, but i wasn't gonna let this tosser intimidate me... so... i fecking got out too!!!

heehee. turned out he was only about 5' 8". He didn't expect some big feck off tall bird to feckin' front up to him (had my heels on too which made me 6' 3" at least!). Little w@nker didn't know what to do, mouthed something at me, got back in his car and drove off.

yea, take me on if yer feckin 'ard enuf mate!

i was well chuffed by the time i got to work, but then had the "road rage" lecture off all my workmates.

 

[Bigtallfatbloke]

I have gave his registration & a description to the police and the matter is in their hands. I am not sure that posting it up on the internet will help me in any way at this point.
Luckily I wasn't hurt physically, hopefully the police will do as they said and pay him a formal visit to remind him of the highway code and to point out that verbal abuse and dangerous driving are not going to be tolerated. He could also get some kind of 'chat' from his employers as it was their van he was driving dangerously and irresponsibly.

I am saving up for a helmet camera, had I had one all this would now be on film. If there are other incidents like this I want to be able to give the police the film. I still can't ge tover the aggression of this bloke, it was like he was about to literally explode.
He clearly hates cyclists and decided to vent that anger on me. All he had to do was wait another second and pass safely, like all the other drivers on that road were doing at the time...but no...he decided my life was not worth one second of his and he bloody nearly left my son fatherless.

I also feel he is the type of person who will intimidate and threaten me again if our paths cross on the road. I will do the same, keep calm, take his details and pass it to the police again, & next time he may well be on cycle cam.

 

[Odyssey]

I'm not a violent person, but if someone done that to me I'd be tempted to rip them out of the car and beat the living daylights out of them.

Unless they were really big...

I'm not often an angry person, but for someone to put your life in danger. Not theirs, but YOURS. And then to have a go at you. It makes me steam just slightly.

 

[atbman]

If you know the name of his employer, then make a formal complaint to them as well.

I've done it several times and two managers took it seriously and rang me back later to make a formal apology. On another occasion, the manger rang me, passed the phone to the driver who made a grovelling apology. He also sent me a copy of a memo which went out to all company drivers reminding them that cyclists' legal right to be on the road was greater than that of drivers and stating why.

A week later I saw his name and his firm's in a story in the local press about his End-to-End charity ride. One suspects his driver can now choice which of two orifices to use

 

[rikki]

If you know the name of his employer, then make a formal complaint to them as well.

I've done it several times and two managers took it seriously and rang me back later to make a formal apology. On another occasion, the manger rang me, passed the phone to the driver who made a grovelling apology. He also sent me a copy of a memo which went out to all company drivers reminding them that cyclists' legal right to be on the road was greater than that of drivers and stating why.

A week later I saw his name and his firm's in a story in the local press about his End-to-End charity ride. One suspects his driver can now choice which of two orifices to use

Love your work atbman

My personal hate is cigarette butts thrown out windows. If there are company details on the vehicle, I always call the managing director when I get into my office (I sound a bit more rational by then). I usually get sincerely thanked for the call after a nice discussion about corporate image and public behaviour. In a lot of cases the immediate response is an apology and thank you very much because they a not allowed to smoke in the vehicles! Dropped right in it

 

[Globalti]

If you see bad driving you MUST call the non-emergency number for your local Police.

For Greater Manchester it's: 0161 872 5050
For Lancashire: 0845 1 25 35 45

Find out the number and store it on your phone with a quick dial, because you will be so shaken or angry that you'll be fumbling to find it. The Police are now using the Police National Computer to record these reports. If your report of the registration, the make and colour all corroborate they will put it as a record against that vehicle. If a vehicle gets spotted by a car with ANPR the driver will get stopped for a "producer" and if he gets four reports he will get a visit at home or at work.

Don't hesitate, get on the phone; the Police are waiting for your call as they now have the technology to make use of it.

Call employers as well. We have a resident's association in our street, which is blighted by speeders and short-cutters avoiding traffic lights on the main road. We have reported van drivers to their transport managers and the drivers have been bollocked as they are breaking the law on two counts if they speed in our street, which is access limited. We haven't seen the habitual offenders since.