It makes my blood boil

billysan

Got knocked over last night by some middle aged boring looking man in a rover.

I say knocked over, he overtook so close that his mirror caught my drops, pushing the wheel into the curb. I managed to get one foot unclipped and did a funny hopping /sprawling type motion across the pavement road afterwards.
My knee is a bit sore from being twisted by having a bike hanging off it, and the back wheel is a little out of true as I think that clouted the back of the car, but other wise I was pretty much fine.

Anyway the traffic was fairly heavy and slow and I could still see the car (he didnt stop) once I realised that both I and the bike were ok, so I gave chase. I almost lost sight of him after about 1/2 mile, but as luck would have it he turned into another residential road with speed bumps every 100m (the square ones with a narrow gap in the middle), thus enabling me to catch back up.

So I rode along side him trying to get his attention, and got thoroughly ignored. But after about 1/4 mile he pulled into his driveway! So I stopped to have a word.

Remaining calm I asked him what he thought he was doing? And why did he not stop. He denied it, but followed with the most arogant miss informed quote Ive heard to date. Something along the lines of ".. and I think you'll find bikes are not allowed on the road. Roads are for cars only, you shouldnt be there." This is when I saw red and told him he was wrong in no uncertain terms, my right of way, leave room etc etc. He then just said "so what are you going to do about it?"

Had I not been in lycra and in road shoes (hardly the most stable of footware to try to ballance on) I would have have swung for him. I would have probably fallen over on carbon soled shoes though.

Ive not reported him to the police, and I didnt stop to fine witnesses as I chose to give chase.

I know his car and where he lives, and a big part of me wants revenge. But I know that wont acheive anything other than make me feel better. I know Ive probably lost this one.

Why are some people so arogant and such complete to55ers when it comes to sharing the road with cyclists?

Rant over.

Chip \'oyler

Go back late at night and slash his tyres.

That way he has the problem of not being able to drive where he needed to and will have to fork out for four new tyres.

finchy

If you're planning revenge, best not to post it on a public forum.

Evidence and all that.

BigJimmyB

Let it go mate. He's a d1ck and sadly one of many.

You'll never change him or his opinions.

The most I would do is print off anything relating to bikes using the road (highway code type stuff) and post it to him. He can choke on that over brekkie.

White Horse

Erm, phone the police. You have his address.

Go and take photos of his car for evidence of scratches where you say it hit you.

northernneil

White Horse wrote:

Erm, phone the police. You have his address.

Go and take photos of his car for evidence of scratches where you say it hit you.

+1

the police can legally take paint samples I understand

Stewie Griffin

Was it a colour coded mirror? Any of his paint on your bar ends?

Gazzaputt

Expanding foam up the exhaust.

gkerr4

phone the police - he knocked you off your bike and caused damage to the bike and potentially to your knee - the call you need to make is to report a road traffic accident, injured cyclist and driver not stopped.

personally though, i'd have had the road shoes and would be sticking them about his face - I hate stuff like that and when the red mist comes down i'd have struggled not to have a go at him

neiltb

glue the highway code pages to the windscreen, maybe he'll read them as he scrapes them off.

gkerr4

neiltb wrote:

glue the highway code pages to the windscreen, maybe he'll read them as he scrapes them off.

then do it again the night after to ensure he got it the first time

Harry182

+1 for making a police report.

Though I'd be surprised if the police do anything about it, you'll need the report if you make any insurance claim. And a report on record might help if (read "when") the driver next screws up.

hsukak

This is exactly why I've resorted to buying and fixing a lightweight camera to my bike/helmet whenever I'm out, be it for my commute or training rides. There's always a time when there's no one about to witness what went on and you're always backed up with the evidence in the end. Most times, especially in London with the heavy volume of traffic, I can catch up with the perpetrator and give him a mouthful in front of all the other drivers, not only to make him aware of his/her fault, but to embarrass the shXt out of them, then carry on and filter through the traffic leaving them for dust.

It's also a good way of sending video evidence to companies informing them of their employees' radical driving strategies.

BenS999

Billysan, you should definitley report this, if no other reason than the police question him and he thinks twice about overtaking a cyclist so closely again. Its clear he is a motorist who does not understand the rules of the road. I will bet money that he believes his so called "road tax" grants him licence to be the primary road user too!

However the alternative could be to respray his car with some luminous paint, maybe some high viz lines all over the bodywork so other riders can keep clear!

PS, probabaly best to choose one option or the other and not both...could be somewhat embarrasing and costly if you get caught... :oops:

Cleat Eastwood

Dude I'd count yourself you were not seriously injured. Full marks for following th eguy but he could have done anything. Fact is he's an arsehole, and carrying anger round with you on rides means you lose focus. I've been knocked of me bike and you can spend days thinking of why and how to resolve it. Best letting it go. You're bigger than that, i guess.

Having said that the gluing of the highway code does seem nice. Hope you're ok and recover well. And do take care.

term1te

How about a bit of research to find out who he is and where he works, especially if it looked like a company car. Although you said Rover, so probably not. If he needs to drive for a living a note to his employers about his driving style and attitude may do wonders. My wife was involved in an accident, completely the fault of a guy in a company car. He denied all responsibility, was very rude and almost threatening and wouldn't give her any insurance details. Fortunately my wife made a note of his employers (can't remember how). We wrote to the CEO and explained the situation, by return of post they had appologised, accepted full responsibility and given us their insurers details.

Also glad that if you do go to the police you haven't said on a public forum that you were in any way threatening to the driver.

billysan

As much as I want to get revenge, Im not going to. I'd prefer him to get hit by the far bigger power (the law) than I am able to weild! I have little faith in the police thoughh as the last time I was knocked off they were next to useless.

I was waiting for him to quote the road tax thing too, but he never mentioned it.

The incident occured in Wooburn Green in Bucks, and I followed him back to Loudwater, on the edge of High Wycombe. So not a really built up area even. I was just starting to back off the pace to cool down before I got home too following quite a nice 40 miler.

I do considder myself to be very lucky in this case. Ive done more damage to myself just falling off with no other external influence.

jgsi

If you do report it to the police as an 'incident', and knowing the address of the perpetrator, are you going to put in an insurance claim for bar tape, scatched this and that just to make a complete hassle for this guy?
Create a bureaucratic red tape mini mountain so he gets the idea that screwing someone over on the road does have consequences.
It may not get very far and it is a hassle for you as well but if nothing happens then he is likely to do it again .
Half of me says forget it and then the other half says it is probably going to happen again at some point.
I might have been tempted to ring the police and say you suspected drink driving as you went to all that trouble of chasing him down.

crewebiker

If you really want revenge, Nitromors will set him back a grand or two getting his car repainted.

I had some woman knock me off my bike once and tell me that once i'd twisted the handlebars back it would be ok. While telling her that my carbon bike was now a write off as you can't risk carbon she got back in her car and drove off.

I was made happy again with quite a large insurance payout from her insurers.

But if they hadn't have paid out i'd have made sure she'd have suffered the loss of her car the same way i suffered the loss of my bike.

secretsqizz

crewebiker wrote:

If you really want revenge, Nitromors will set him back a grand or two getting his car repainted..

It's a Rover, he wont bother it'll be an enhancement.

Chip \'oyler

MTFU the lot of you.

I mean you don't hear soldiers complaining about getting shot at in Afghanistan - we all know it's a war out there on the streets

rhext

Report to police. It probably won't go anywhere (your word against his and all that), but if they do nothing more than visit him to get his side of the story it'll make him think twice next time!

john-e-big-guns

I had this happen to me some years ago...caught the the car up at the next set of lights an confronted him I got a simlar answer as OP...put it this way both his wing mirror where hanging by their wires by the time he moved off....he did'nt give a sh**t about me...so I thought the same..F**k'm

Ryan Jones

Send some heavies over demanding money, it's the local tradition in these parts where insurance is a luxury few can afford (or be bothered to pay for)

Stick8267

Now you know his address give it to every irritating company and organisation you can think of. Flood him with junk mail, the more socially unacceptable the better!

Anne Summers would be a gentle start before you delve in to darker waters.

Mad Roadie

report to the police - failing to stop is on offence

jonesthepipe

garden sprayer and a gallon of brake fluid? :twisted:

andy_f

jonesthepipe wrote:

garden sprayer and a gallon of brake fluid? :twisted:

Brake fluids great cause not only does it take the paint off but it also makes it very difficult to repaint until some serious cleaning work is done to the steel.

father_jack

Put £1000 in a envelope and post it through his letter box.

That'll teach him

shm_uk

Gazzaputt wrote:

Expanding foam up the exhaust.

I would never condone vandalism, but this is a fantastic suggestion ...

pneumatic

You have to report it to the police - otherwise you (or better still he) can get done for failing to report an RTA. If it is not safe to stop at the scene, you (pl) are under legal obligation to report to your local station within 24 hours. If he does not report it in the same time, he can be charged for failing to report*.

*this happens. Report it. Now. Seriously.