Motorists excuses when they are at fault
salsajake
Posts: 702
Just had one today, so thought I would post up my two favourites so far:
On hitting a car that pulled out in front of me at a crossroads, with me having right of way and riding at c.25mph (I got the bike sideways and hit him sideways with my cleats, thankfully (for me, rather than my head, less thankfully for his door):
"The van behind you was flashing for me to come out"
I don't need to say anything do I.
This morning, on coming off a two-lane roundabout, where a guy in the left lane decided to exit the roundabout into the right lane of the dual carriageway, despite me being there (I'm fairly surely that is his fault) and me saying he should have stayed in the left lane as he risked broadsiding me, he said:
"well who is going to get killed first, me or you?"
As if that somehow justifies it, some kind of perverse logic there! My response was "me, probably by some censored like you"
Any other fine examples of an outright reluctance to accept fault out there?
On hitting a car that pulled out in front of me at a crossroads, with me having right of way and riding at c.25mph (I got the bike sideways and hit him sideways with my cleats, thankfully (for me, rather than my head, less thankfully for his door):
"The van behind you was flashing for me to come out"
I don't need to say anything do I.
This morning, on coming off a two-lane roundabout, where a guy in the left lane decided to exit the roundabout into the right lane of the dual carriageway, despite me being there (I'm fairly surely that is his fault) and me saying he should have stayed in the left lane as he risked broadsiding me, he said:
"well who is going to get killed first, me or you?"
As if that somehow justifies it, some kind of perverse logic there! My response was "me, probably by some censored like you"
Any other fine examples of an outright reluctance to accept fault out there?
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A few summers back - BLAZING hot day (yeah they did happen) bright sunshine, no clouds. Me all in jet black. (dumb idea) and a guy pulled out on me. His excuse? "Get some bloody lights!"
2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
2011 Trek Madone 4.5
2012 Felt F65X
Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
His excuse? "Bikes have to give way to cars".
http://www.rainmiles.com/archives/angry-in-audi.html
lol. the driver proply is a cyclist also and he is used to saying that to people.
Specialized Rockhopper Pro Disc 08
I've also had the "look mate, who's going to be killed if I hit you" before.
Nice place we live in isn't it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3258551288/
Bike 2
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] ... otostream/
New Bike
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3479300346/
The lorry driver looks at me and then starts to reverse out, necessitating a serious amount of braking on my part.
When I came to a screaming halt alongside his cab I shouted "What, could you NOT see me???" (I was wearing a yellow nightvision jacket)
His reply?
"No. I saw you. I had plenty of time to pull out"
Wha???????? :shock: :roll:
2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
2011 Trek Madone 4.5
2012 Felt F65X
Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
"THIS IS A ROAD!"
I wish I'd replied and this is a road bike.......
'You were right in front of me!'
No sh!t sherlock, and now I'm sprawled on the ground.
His passengers ganged up on him and made him take me and my bike to the hospital!
Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
In typical Wenger stylee he uttered the immortal "I did not see you". Sacre bleu!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3336802663/
A few months ago, i was in a bus lane in primary (bad kink in the road makes drivers want to overtake unsafely there), with busy traffic in the main line to my right.
Taxi behind me goes for the overtake before the bad kink, and can't because of the other traffic.
Then at the bad kink he tries it again, but with me fully in primary can't.
Anyway we get stopped at traffic lights about 30 metres after the kink and he winds his window down....and says "Bus lanes are for buses, taxi's and cycles!".
I am open mouthed, look down just to check and answer "whats this then? A space hopper?"
H.G. Wells.
The multi-level ignorance is actually quite impressive.
No worries - ignorance and all that....
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3258551288/
Bike 2
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] ... otostream/
New Bike
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/3479300346/
I couldn't help but feel that he should probably pay more attention to his own driving and worry somewhat less about my riding. Especially as we were heading in opposite directions and I wasn't inconveniencing him in anyway.
Followed shortly by the driver saying to me "thats assault if you hit me" So if he had hit me what would it be a slap on the wrist and good telling off.
"You were going too fast" - was on my fixed so max 40K
"I was late for work" was the one that made me vent all my fury
Road : Aravis (byercycles) Shimano 105 triple
Hybrid: Trek 7.2 FX, unused / unloved
She replied, "Well if you're going to speak to me like that, I don't want to talk to you." She put the window up and drove off.
Her reaction made me far more angry than the initial incident.
KK (NOT a motorist, and proud!)
PS having ridden by the place several time I notice now he reverses into his drive
It was the shakedown ride after I'd rebuilt the bike, new wheels, new groupset, new pedals, respray. £2500 spent and the only part that was old was the handlebars which were the only part that got damaged!
Quite a good quip given the trauma...any ideas on the FCN of a space hopper!!
[2] Trek 5200 old style carbon
[3] Frankensteins hybrid FCN 8
Condor Moda - commute
Scott something or other - manky old MTB
D!ckhead in his car, mobile phone pressed to his ear and engaging all his attention, takes one look at me, sees me in the inside lane, then looks away to keep on with his conversation and drives into the roundabout, in the process completely missing my lane change and my indication, I almost run into him I'm going so fast and end up having to do a snap lane change back into the inside to avoid hitting him side one.
His excuse when I caught up with him in the nearby shopping centre carpark, having just got off the phone, "you were in the other lane"! Yeah, but I also changed lanes and indicated, you were so busy with your phone you weren't paying attention to what I was doing or where I was and almost took me out.
A few weeks later a woman driver at exactly the same sport did almost the same thing, except she only looked to see if anything was coming at her when she was a full car length into the roundabout, way to late to see anything coming.....my complaint to the police as to the dangerous layout of the junction, the number of mobile phone users that have almost taken me out etc has of course been course been completely ignored....so much for bringing in a ban on mobile phone use, it doesn't seem to have registered with the general public.
depends on how much air is in it....and the number of racing stripes it has....
H.G. Wells.
her car and its also illegal to drive whilst on a mobile phone, the dozey bint argued and said its not illegal to use a mobile whilst driving. But when my daughter said its endorsable by 3 points on your licence and up to a £1000 fine she started to relalise that perhaps it is illegal, but she clearley did'nt know. There must be a huge amount of people out there that either dont watch anything remotley newslike on the telly, look in the highway code or read newspapers. Where have they living under a stone?
On a 14 mile commute I regularly see between 5 and 10 mobile phone users! Many of them clearly oblivious to other road users, many seeming to favour phone use over signal use! :evil: