Some drivers!

Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me about an
hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a flashing high intensity
white led. I braked hard, swerved, skidded and hit the front wing,
fortunately gently. The driver wound down her window, perhaps to apologise?
No she spat at me and then slammed open the drivers door into my leg (the
good bit was she actually hit the pedal). There then followed a few minutes
of f-ing and blinding, an observation that she hoped I died of cancer (not
sure where that came from) and several repeated assertions that if she saw
me on the road again she would kill me. So far all I had said - honestly -
was "watch it" although I did shout rather loudly. After which as I tried
to get away she drove along side pushing me out into oncoming traffic (it
was a fixed and difficult to manoeuvre) before speeding off whilst leaning
out of her window looking back and shouting. The accident I can live with
we all make mistakes but the rest !!! My job involves dealing with angry
people, I did not provoke this. Perhaps she's related to the idiot who
followed me this morning in my car hooting and flashing because I was doing
30 in a 30 limit and then overtook on a pedestrian crossing. I'm no
innocent, I can't afford any more points for speeding but this deliberate
and dangerous driving isn't picked up by the cameras we need more traffic
police and education of drivers. Thanks for listening that's off my chest
now.

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:27:39 -0000, Mbike wrote:

good bit was she actually hit the pedal). There then followed a few minutes
of f-ing and blinding, an observation that she hoped I died of cancer (not
sure where that came from) and several repeated assertions that if she saw
me on the road again she would kill me.

Commiserations. I've had very similar once - not nice. He (in this
case) didn't wish cancer on me, but having asserted he'd have me off
my bike, roared off wheels spinning. Some way down the road, as I
went past a junction, he came roaring out of the side road, again
wheels spinning, and I thought he really had decided to kill me.
Having emerged behind me, he went past sooo close I was actually
surprised I remained upright.

I reported it to the police. I never heard anything. Maybe that's
their policy with attempted murder - ignore it and hope it goes away.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Ian Smith wrote:

I reported it to the police. I never heard anything. Maybe that's
their policy with attempted murder - ignore it and hope it goes away.

They told me unless I was badly injured they weren't interested.
If you do get hurt then go to A&E and explain what happened. They're
more likely to be sympathetic and I've been told they'll chase the
driver for medical costs where possible!

peter

"Ian Smith" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:27:39 -0000, Mbike wrote:



I reported it to the police. I never heard anything. Maybe that's
their policy with attempted murder - ignore it and hope it goes away.

regards, Ian SMith
--
I didn't even think about reporting it it's my area of work and would have
been my word against hers. Had I damaged the front wing I might have as
then there is an obligation to exchange details. One thing I forgot was
somewhere in the verbals she said she was in a hurry to get her children's
tea.
me

On 13/01/2006 20:27, Mbike said,
... but this deliberate
and dangerous driving isn't picked up by the cameras we need more traffic
police and education of drivers.

This is a particular bugbear of mine. So-called "safety" cameras just
don't do what they are supposed to do (sorry - yes they do, they
generate revenue!). I think this situation is another case where speed
itself isn't an issue, but dangerous and arrogant driving is. Trouble
is, people know that nothing will happen so they just carry on. I
actually bought a new copy of the Highway Code recently to see if red
lights had become advisory and roundabouts had changed to the European
priority system :-) OK, that wasn't the reason, but I'm sure you get my
drift!

If it's any consolation, the same thing happens to car drivers with
2x55W lights on. There is a huge advantage though for a car driver in
that situation.... Fortunately my route to work is virtually all
cycle-path, but there are some dodgy road crossings. My biggest danger
is oncoming cyclists not knowing that we ride on the left in this
country, and there is that "Who's going to move over first - oops, not
both together!" moment. I think I've got it easy!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:27:39 +0000, Mbike wrote:


speeding but this deliberate and dangerous driving isn't picked up by the
cameras we need more traffic police and education of drivers. Thanks for
listening that's off my chest now.
Good stuff. You've come to the right place.
Stupid, stupid person you encountered.

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 21:34:56 +0000, Paul Boyd
said in :

This is a particular bugbear of mine. So-called "safety" cameras just
don't do what they are supposed to do

Don't worry, multiply-convicted speeders turn out to have more than
double the national average collision rate, mileage adjusted, so
actually the cameras *are* catching the dangerous drivers.

One problem which remains unaddressed, though, is that the number of
traffic plod has dropped like a stone since traffic policing was
effectively removed from the Core Duties of forces.

You should write to your MP about that; it would be good if the
automated enforcement was backed by police enforcement as well.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

Mbike wrote:
Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me about an
hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a flashing high intensity
white led.

Hummm, just what does it look like from infront? I've seen drivers
confused by motorbikes with twin lights, IIRC for a long while it was
twin main, single dip, now its twin dip and it seems to register as 'car
in the distance' with a lot of drivers...

No excuse for the rest of it though!

badger wrote:
Hummm, just what does it look like from infront? I've seen drivers
confused by motorbikes with twin lights, IIRC for a long while it was
twin main, single dip, now its twin dip and it seems to register as 'car
in the distance' with a lot of drivers...

I added a single 10W lamp and it doesn't seem to make any difference
whether I use one bright, one normal or both lights.

At least I can now find my keys in the dark with it g

pete

"Mbike" wrote in message
...
Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me about
an hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a flashing high
intensity white led. I braked hard, swerved, skidded and hit the front
wing, fortunately gently. The driver wound down her window, perhaps to
apologise? No she spat at me and then slammed open the drivers door into
my leg (the good bit was she actually hit the pedal). There then followed
a few minutes of f-ing and blinding, an observation that she hoped I died
of cancer (not sure where that came from) and several repeated assertions
that if she saw me on the road again she would kill me. So far all I had
said - honestly - was "watch it" although I did shout rather loudly.
After which as I tried to get away she drove along side pushing me out
into oncoming traffic (it was a fixed and difficult to manoeuvre) before
speeding off whilst leaning out of her window looking back and shouting.
The accident I can live with we all make mistakes but the rest !!! My job
involves dealing with angry people, I did not provoke this. Perhaps she's
related to the idiot who followed me this morning in my car hooting and
flashing because I was doing 30 in a 30 limit and then overtook on a
pedestrian crossing. I'm no innocent, I can't afford any more points for
speeding but this deliberate and dangerous driving isn't picked up by the
cameras we need more traffic police and education of drivers. Thanks for
listening that's off my chest now.

I had a similar response a few weeks back. Female driver overtakes me on a
bend, even though I was in the primary riding position. A car approaches in
the opposite direction so she decides that she must get back over to the
correct side of the road while nearly squashing me. Caught her up at a give
way and I tap on her window to ask why she didn't wait to overtake in safe
manner and that she nearly hit me?

She just turned round and told me to "**** off" and then roared of into the
distance. I think it must be an 'I'm not going to admit it was my fault'
reaction. But it is scary that fellow human beings judge your life to be of
no value because your cycling.



John