Why do the Police not care?

[wintonbina]

Just my observation. After my 'collision' with a car the police attended along with an Ambulance. Whilst I was in the ambulance the PC popped his head around the door and said 'the driver has admitted it was her fault, she has passed the breathalyser & is insured'. He gave me a card with her details on it & his name but there isn't an incident number and almost 4 weeks later(I'm still off work) they haven't been in touch to take a statement, so I can only assume that its another case of 'Its only a cyclist!' No hope really if they aren't bothered!
Rant over! Tony

 

[gaz]

They would have to write it up, so contact the coppers and ask for some information about what is going on.

 

[Maz]

Sorry to hear about the incident.
Why not contact the copper named on the card and ask for an update?

 

[Cubist]

I'm a bit lost here.

The cop gave you the driver's details and told you she'd admitted liability. It is up to you to pursue her via her insurers for damage and losses. In the circumstances you describe he will have recorded the incident and her admission. It isn't necessarily in the public interest to prosecute her. He didn't single you out as a cyclist. The same result for the majority of accidents. If you had wanted to pursue a prosecution you should have said so at the time. On top of her admission you would have needed independent evidence of her poor driving.

Get in touch with him and establish what evidence he recorded. It may not be too late to pursue it, but I do not hold out much hope.

Have you contacted the driver or her insurers yet?

Why have you waited four weeks to make your enquiries with a cycling forum, and not the people who are there to help you for want of a phone call?

 

[Cubist]

Oh, and by the way, the Police do care.

 

[G-Zero]

Just my observation. After my 'collision' with a car the police attended along with an Ambulance. Whilst I was in the ambulance the PC popped his head around the door and said 'the driver has admitted it was her fault, she has passed the breathalyser & is insured'. He gave me a card with her details on it & his name but there isn't an incident number and almost 4 weeks later(I'm still off work) they haven't been in touch to take a statement, so I can only assume that its another case of 'Its only a cyclist!' No hope really if they aren't bothered!
Rant over! Tony

If the Police were sent to the collision, there will be an incident number on their system. Sounds like the cop forgot to write this on the card for your reference, but it will still be retrievable from the time, date & location, if you need it.

I agree with Cubist, that it is up to you to pursue the driver for damages etc, however, the Police should have updated you with what courses of action are open to them, ie. prosecution, driver improvement or 'no action'; and also canvassed your views on those choices.

I would make contact with the cop as there are many genuine reasons why he may not have been in touch so far.

 

[wintonbina]

I'm a bit lost here.

The cop gave you the driver's details and told you she'd admitted liability. It is up to you to pursue her via her insurers for damage and losses. In the circumstances you describe he will have recorded the incident and her admission. It isn't necessarily in the public interest to prosecute her. He didn't single you out as a cyclist. The same result for the majority of accidents. If you had wanted to pursue a prosecution you should have said so at the time. On top of her admission you would have needed independent evidence of her poor driving.

Get in touch with him and establish what evidence he recorded. It may not be too late to pursue it, but I do not hold out much hope.

Have you contacted the driver or her insurers yet?

Why have you waited four weeks to make your enquiries with a cycling forum, and not the people who are there to help you for want of a phone call?

I haven't said anything about pursuing her, thats in hand. As for pursuing a prosecution & requesting one at the time, its difficult when you've been knocked senseless & spent 20 minutes laid out kissing the tarmac! I'm not neccesary asking for a prosecution but I would have liked an update even if it had been at my hospital bed.
I do understand where you're coming from but I still think customer relations (as such) could have been betterand please note I said 'rant' not enquiry

 

[fossyant]

TBH it's not always a priority, and if it's obvious the driver was a twit, then they would prosecute.

No action was taken with my off, just one of those things.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Four weeks later and you've not been in touch with them? Why you could hardly blame them for thinking you are not bothered.

However I remember reading your original post about your off. I hope you are mending well and that an insurance claim will result in you getting a new bike.

 

[IT_Dummy]

Same thing happened to me
"Oh, no injuries, car wing mirror touched you, use a bit of T cut , your bike will be fine."
I couldn,t walk for 10 weeks - No injuries ?
T junction - hit me side on - ok wing mirror?
Obviously the Police think T-cut repairs bent frames
And I have the report -not on the correct paperwork and no signature
The paramedics were great

 

[ufkacbln]

I had a left hook the other week, and was told by the driver it "was my fault for being in the way!"

No injuries or damage, but a close call

I had two witnesses so reported it.

Following day received phone call to ask what I wanted done as they had spoken to witnesses and were unhappy with her driving.

Police then interviewed her and explained the error of their ways.

Police Constable (who is a cyclist) stated that she felt the driver was shaken by the fact she had been spoken to and that she was confident that she had learned her lesson. Sh was also now on a "watch list" and any further driving offences would flag this one up to the officers concerned

The Police did not think a prosecution would be any more effective, and I must admit I agree... so we stopped there.


Throughout the Police were courteous, took the whole thing seriously and left the choices to me. Very impressed!

 

[Grizzly]

I dont mean this to be a go at anyone in particular, it's just that this thread had raised an issue. People often complain when the Police are perceived as not "doing enough" or taking an incident "seriously", or even if a member of an emergency service isn't as chirpy and polite as they would like. Now as I said I'm not having a go at anyone in particular, and you guys are always very complimentary about Paramedics/Ambulance Service (as is proved in this thread). To us our accident is important, its (hopefully) the worst thing that will happen to us and its not something we will forget easily. The Police turn up to our accident scene and try and do a few things, firstly preserve life, secondly prevent any further accident our injury, thirdly preserve evidence, fourthly gather evidence and lastly charge someone with an offence if they believe one has been committed. Do we ever have any sympathy for the fact that they may be having to do this after dealing with a cot death? Or that they have just passed on the news of a death of a relative? How many times has anyone here had to sit in a house for a period of time with a body thats been lying for weeks or one that has been murdered? This is often the case, Police Officers are having to deal with our tantrums and fits with a smile on their faces, because if they dont they know that most members of the public will put in a complaint with the line "I pay taxes, I pay your wages", and chances are the complaint will be upheld no matter how absurd. All I'm saying is that we all should have a bit of sympathy for the Police Officers who turn up, listen to our moans and groans and then go on to deal with crap that I could not imagine in my worst nightmare.

 

[Vikeonabike]

Oh, and by the way, the Police do care.

We do too... It's certainly not about the money or the working conditions or all the nice people who feel it is their right to abuse us for anything and everything.

 

[YahudaMoon]

4 weeks for a minor accident !! lol Its not really a priority is it

Took em nearly three month to get back to me over a dead body I found a few month back and Im still waiting for the coroners report on the matter.