Got some helmet cam footage of YOUR commute?

Origamist

sperkins wrote:

A near miss for a cyclist on London Bridge this morning. Just glad nothing was coming in the other direction
http://vimeo.com/32309281

I know that MTB guy - fast reactions.

Looks like the private hire didn't check his mirror before trying to pass the slow moving/stopping white van.

atomboy

Chat with a rude driver
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRX5UZWZC0s

Kieran_Burns

Kieran_Burns wrote:

I've had another reply back from Leicestershire Police about that woman on the phone (Dog Walking company)

They'd initially decided her driving was not sufficiently poor to prosecute, so I sent back an email pointing out that they'd missed the fundamental problem:

The fact that her poor driving was due to her being on the phone

and enclosed a still that clearly showed her with a phone held to her head while she pulled out on to me.

The email this morning has told me that they've reopened the file and are making further enquiries.

further enquires completed - she's denying being on the phone!

bails87

So how long did it take for

Police wrote:

Were you on the phone?

Driver wrote:

No.

to happen?

redvee

If the police prosecute and the driver elects to go to court and the driver pleads not guilty the chance of a prosecution is very slim.
This is the reply I received from A&S Police RPU to an online enquiry I sent with links to a couple of Youtube mobile phone clips.

Avon & Somerset Police RPU wrote:

Thank you for your E-mail regarding persons apparently using mobile
phones while driving. I apologise for the delay in replying but I needed to do some research before replying. Police officers who have reported persons for this offence are finding that if the motorist pleads not guilty it is increasingly difficult to prove to the satisfaction of the court that the offence under Regulation 110 of the Road Vehicles(
Construction and Use ) Regulations 1986 has been committed. The offence states that:

No person shall cause or permit any other person to drive a motor vehicle on a road while that other person is using -

(a) a hand-held mobile telephone; or
(b) a hand-held device of a kind specified in paragraph (4).

The device referred to in b above is:

A device referred to in paragraphs (1)(b), (2)(b) and (3)(b) is a device, other than a two-way radio, which performs an interactive communication function by transmitting and receiving data.

Hand-held is defined as:

a mobile telephone or other device is to be treated as hand-held if it is, or must be, held at some point during the course of making or receiving a call or performing any other interactive communication
function.


An interactive communication function includes the following -

(i) sending or receiving oral or written messages;
(ii) sending or receiving facsimile documents;
(iii) sending or receiving still or moving images; and
(iv) providing access to the internet;

In order to prove the offence to the satisfaction of the court it is necessary to show that a phone call or interactive communication was taking place at the time the action was witnessed. It is not an offence under this section to be recording dictation, or listening to music etc. The police currently have no power to seize the device. Your "evidence"
will show a driver holding a device and possibly talking, but that does not prove that a phone call or interactive communication was being made at that time. The police often receive calls from members of the public
regarding this topic, and the advice from the CPS is that, even in circumstances such as yours, where you would be willing to make a statement to prove the footage was authentic and to appear in court as a witness to that effect, it would not be possible to prove a phone call or other interactive communication was being made at that time. We are
currently liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service to try to find a solution, but, unless there is a change in the law, we will not be able to proceed on the basis of your evidence alone.

Kieran_Burns

I've sent a screen shot which really clearly shows her with her hand to her head and a phone in her hand. It's REALLY obvious.

When everything is complete, I'll post the captures - the quality of the image really helps and the Police have commented on how clear they are.

davis

KB: If I were you, I would expect frustration and disappointment to be the outcome.

bails87

That's bloody stupid!

So I can be driving along, with my phone in my hand, using it to listen to my 'learn mandarin while being a pratt' language course, or playing Angry Birds, but that's absolutely fine?

No officer, I wasn't on the phone, I was just talking to myself while holding the phone up to the side of my head. That other voice you heard? That was for my ventriloquist act!

redvee

Until the Police get the powers to seize the handsets this will continue. In cases where an accient has occured and mobile phone use is suspected then I think the power to check phone records is available.

Mr Sharky

Surely they can do them for not being in control of their vehicle though... haven't there been cases when people have been done for eating whilst driving.

In the case of KBs stupid bint.. how on earth could she change gear (presumably required fairly soon when one starts off from being stationary) with the phone to her head without letting go of the steering wheel????

Kieran_Burns

Mr Sharky wrote:

Surely they can do them for not being in control of their vehicle though... haven't there been cases when people have been done for eating whilst driving.

In the case of KBs stupid bint.. how on earth could she change gear (presumably required fairly soon when one starts off from being stationary) with the phone to her head without letting go of the steering wheel????

I think you'll find I called her a daft tart

DrLex

Avon & Somerset Police RPU wrote:

[...] Your "evidence" will show a driver holding a device and possibly talking[...]

Which ought to be sufficient for a jury to believe beyond reasonable doubt that it was being used as a telephone, rather than an ear-scratcher. If it's in front of a Magistrate, rather than 12 housewives, students & long-term unemployed, it would be a easy win for the CPS (barring "Mr Loophole" representing celebrity defendant). However, the reality appears to be that unless PoPo sees it happen in front of their minces, or CPS think there's no chance of losing (due to it being part of a more serious prosecution), there'll be no action taken. Bar Stewards!

Kieran_Burns

I got stalked by her last night. She actually followed me home sat up the road from my house and watched me cycle up my drive.

Sent an email to the officer looking after the case - he's printed a hard copy of the email and put it in the file.

bails87

Not nice. If I knew she was there I wouldn't have gone home TBH. I'd have taken a deliberately circuitous route towards the nearest police station, or somewhere with a load of CCTV like a petrol station.

Kieran_Burns

In hindsight I wish I'd carried on up the hill and past - but that headwind last night killed me and the hill gets steeper and steeper the further up you go. I was so knackered I just pulled into the drive without thinking.

mtb-idle

Origamist wrote:

sperkins wrote:

A near miss for a cyclist on London Bridge this morning. Just glad nothing was coming in the other direction
http://vimeo.com/32309281

I know that MTB guy - fast reactions.

Looks like the private hire didn't check his mirror before trying to pass the slow moving/stopping white van.

ain't that Robbie the South African dude? Wears a wifebeater 365. Even seen him last year in the snow riding in the same gear.

bails87

Kieran_Burns wrote:

In hindsight I wish I'd carried on up the hill and past - but that headwind last night killed me and the hill gets steeper and steeper the further up you go. I was so knackered I just pulled into the drive without thinking.

Might be worth asking the neighbours (if you're friendly with them....not 'car keys in the bowl' friendly.....) to keep an eye out and to let you know if they see anything suspicious. Especially if she's enough of a daft tart to turn up at your house in her van :roll:

Thebigbee

Mr Sharky wrote:

Surely they can do them for not being in control of their vehicle though... haven't there been cases when people have been done for eating whilst driving.

In the case of KBs stupid bint.. how on earth could she change gear (presumably required fairly soon when one starts off from being stationary) with the phone to her head without letting go of the steering wheel????

Just watched your vid via clicking Youtube with the Land Rover driver and listening to the radio. Dunno if you had sound on your vid but - "Working on the highway" by The Boss was playing, which I have never heard before and aren't into, seemed apt!

Unfortunately I think many drivers are so impatient - just so they can go and play with their bells for a minute or two at the inevietable next red light. The irony was that if he had just held back for 5 or ten seconds longer he could have come past very safely when the other way was done.

Something that I can't help thinking these muppets wives think on a regular basis!

untaken

Had a near miss today with some moronic driving instructor from walkers driving school, they pulled out on me without looking as I was doing 25mph in the wet, luckily I managed to spot them and slow down just in time.

This is the second time I've nearly been killed by walkers driving school so I'm wondering whether its worth reporting them to the police? The first time I had a walkers car pull straight out without looking so I smacked the mirror with my bar end, I let this go and didn't take things further as it was a learner student driving but now after this near miss by an instructor I'm quite hacked off with this company :evil:

http://youtu.be/Z37mIle1YE4

bails87

Report to the people who regulate driving instructors? ADI? or something like that.
I had a similarly bad experience with a driving instructor. http://youtu.be/C7N-tjcroo4?hd=1

notsoblue

bails87 wrote:

Report to the people who regulate driving instructors? ADI? or something like that.
I had a similarly bad experience with a driving instructor. http://youtu.be/C7N-tjcroo4?hd=1

You should make that public, with the company name in the title...

untaken

Thanks, I've just called the driving school in question asking for an apology and if that gets nowhere then I'll contact the adi and ask for the instructor to have remedial training.

bails87

I think it's actually the DSA, ADI is "approved driving instructor", so the DSA make you an ADI.

bails87

This eejit is a regular offender on my commute http://youtu.be/JoZrHyJGKvY
The police said that "we can see he overtook you, but we couldn't see that it was too close, if you could have turned your head to the right to look at him then you might have got a better angle of it".
:roll:

davis

bails87, that's unbelievable. I'd quite happily have him banned from driving.
I suspect his registration's "W14 ERO" though, ("oh" at the end, not "zero").

bails87

davis wrote:

bails87, that's unbelievable. I'd quite happily have him banned from driving.
I suspect his registration's "W14 ERO" though, ("oh" at the end, not "zero").

Thanks, I've changed the title.

I might tweet it at the Warwickshire Police twitter account, ask them if they really think it's an example of good driving.

leodis75

Some of the helmet cams on YouTube are making me rethink about commuting.. Not been on a bike for 20 years :shock:

Kieran_Burns

leodis75 wrote:

Some of the helmet cams on YouTube are making me rethink about commuting.. Not been on a bike for 20 years :shock:

Watch some of mine... generally they're much happier!

bails87

leodis75 wrote:

Some of the helmet cams on YouTube are making me rethink about commuting.. Not been on a bike for 20 years :shock:

I'm actually working on a 'nice commute' video.

Think of the hundreds of thousands of bike commuters, and the millions of interactions with drivers, cyclists and pedestrians every single day, don;t miss out on the good stuff because a tiny percentage goes wrong.....The videos can highlight the bad stuff, but you could search for 'car crash' and never drive again.

On the whole, commuting by bike is fantastic, the odd stupid thing is avoidable with roadsense, and though it might be annoying, you'll forget about it after a couple of minutes.

I think one of the regular posters (cyclingmikey, cyclegaz/gaz545?) has estimated that it's one out of every 5000 interactions that gets uploaded, and most of those are things like a pointless overtake, stuff that's selfish and badly planned, rather than lethal.

Get out there and enjoy it

leodis75

Kieran_Burns wrote:

leodis75 wrote:

Some of the helmet cams on YouTube are making me rethink about commuting.. Not been on a bike for 20 years :shock:

Watch some of mine... generally they're much happier!

Sorry to laugh but when you shouted "You daft tart" I did pee meself

I think one of the regular posters (cyclingmikey, cyclegaz/gaz545?) has estimated that it's one out of every 5000 interactions that gets uploaded, and most of those are things like a pointless overtake, stuff that's selfish and badly planned, rather than lethal.

Get out there and enjoy it

Yeah will do, can't wait to get my bike. I've got me helmet, gloves, pun repair kits, tyre levers and LD20 on the way. After been stuck for 90 minutes on the bus to travel 5 miles in xmas traffic I wanted to jump off the bus and get peddling with a red face and near death heart beat rate.