Should I report to police?

borderbloke

So, incident happened this evening at where I was overtaking stationary traffic at a red light before a crossroads. I'm in the right hand lane looking to turn right when the light goes green. I pull up behind the lead car (like a good boy) and wait for an opportunity to cross the junction when there's a gap in the traffic.

It's then I notice the looming figure of a Land Rover inching up my inside - I think not much of it. The car in front turns right and then it's my turn. By this time, the Land Rover is nudging up my inside and I can hear the usual "ya wee prick" coming from the driver's window.

There's a gap in the traffic and I turn right i- next thing, the bloke is undertaking me (oh, he had a double axle trailer as well) and having a right go at me for overtaking. He was only a foot or so away from me. To top things off, he then pulls to his destination at the first left!!

Am I in the wrong for overtaking? The traffic was stationary behind a red light when I started then I moved (carefully) into a more than generous enough gap between the cars. Even if i was in the wrong, can I report him for almost knocking me over?

The incident ended with his wife (who was pretty scary, let me tell you !)jumping out the 4x4 and having a go at my face with such constructive criticisms that I am "bawbag" and that she's "sick of wee dicks like you"....

I've got the registration - is it worth my effort even reporting them?

borderbloke

PS - should have mentioned that in the heat of the moment my language was far from perfect..

Blandiblub

I'd imagine the police won't do a lot as they didn't actually hit you but it's probably worth reporting in case they have other similar reports and for peace of mind should anything similar happen in future. If they get any kind of contact from the police, it'll probably be satisfying enough!

Doesn't sound like you overtook them anyway surely? You were ahead of them waiting your turn and they came up behind trying to push through?

slowbike

I doubt the Police will be interested .... unless they have had similar reports of the driver behaving badly... then they might just add it to the list or have a word.
It's probably worth you popping into your local plod (or calling them - it'll be easier) and reporting it - but don't expect anything.

wandsworth

Do police even keep a record of this kind of complaint, where (however unpleasant the behaviour) no offence has been committed? I guess if you fill out a form they'll have that but will they record it against that specific car reg number? I doubt it.

markhewitt1978

If you've been knocked off and seriously injured they might, if your lucky, raise an eyebrow. Then as in a recent case fine the driver £55.

gbsahne001

wouldn't bother, chalk it up to experience and move on, as the Police are unlikely to be interested.

Initialised

Farmer type? Maybe using red diesel illegally...

slowbike

wandsworth wrote:

Do police even keep a record of this kind of complaint, where (however unpleasant the behaviour) no offence has been committed? I guess if you fill out a form they'll have that but will they record it against that specific car reg number? I doubt it.

When I was young a van driver overtook me, pulled over, got out, stopped me and punched me in the face then drove off ...
I managed to remember the number plate and my parents reported it to the police - they added it to a list of offences that the driver was facing in court ...

If an adult just wants to bawl me out in the road then I'll happily take it - but don't expect me to do nothing about it - because next time they might just do it to a kid or someone more vulnerable than myself.

Bustacapp

Slowbike wrote:

When I was young a van driver overtook me, pulled over, got out, stopped me and punched me in the face then drove off ...

slowbike

Bustacapp wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

When I was young a van driver overtook me, pulled over, got out, stopped me and punched me in the face then drove off ...

it was you! ... right thats it ... I'll see you outside after school ....

unixnerd

I'd report it, might save someone else getting the same treatment in future.

Dandelionclock30

Dont waste your time reporting it to the police they wont do anything unless you were knocked down dead.Then it would probably take them an hour or so to get to you.

The Rookie

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Then as in a recent case fine the driver £55.

Rubbish....there is no mechanism for the police to fine a driver in the first place and their is no £55 fixed penalty (not strictly a fine - only the courts can impose a fine) and careless driving (which this is) is not a fixed penalty offence (yet)....so twaddle I'm afraid.

daveetheridge

The driver possibly committed 2 driving offences :
Dangerous driving (under Road Traffic Act 1988 for deliberate bad driving)
Reckless endangerment (although the OP didn't state where in the road he ended up so negligible whether the CPS would pursue this offence).

As always it depends how on the ball your local force are and if the driver has faced similar complaints.

daddy0

Considering they did nothing when I was driven off the road then assaulted by a motorist, and had 2 witnesses, I don't hold much hope in anything happening as far as the popo goes. You should've D-locked the twunts. Still, seeing as you didn't D-lock them, worth a phone call I reckon - you never know your luck.

notnot

borderbloke wrote:

Am I in the wrong for overtaking? The traffic was stationary behind a red light when I started then I moved (carefully) into a more than generous enough gap between the cars. Even if i was in the wrong, can I report him for almost knocking me over?

Filtering's perfectly legal assuming you do it safely (sounds like you did) but cars can sometimes get annoyed when a bike pulls into the road in front of them. Don't know that there's a good solution - try to predict which drivers are most likely to be assholes and avoid?

philwi

wandsworth wrote:

Do police even keep a record of this kind of complaint, where (however unpleasant the behaviour) no offence has been committed? I guess if you fill out a form they'll have that but will they record it against that specific car reg number? I doubt it.

If you politely request an incident number, then yes. You do not have to fill out a form and you can get an incident number over the phone. I usually go to the nick too because I tend to have video evidence against aggressive drivers. Taxi and bus drivers you need to report to the local authority - they keep records too, and even get the drivers to respond to complaints.

The police are generally not very interested, but they can't stop you reporting illegal behaviour. The response could be anything from nothing, calling/ writing to the driver, or more serious action depending on what the driver did and what you can prove. People who disregard "minor" laws tend to disregard laws generally, sometimes you will get lucky and the vehicle will not be taxed or insured, which will definitely result in action (so long as it's not been "scrapped", I was once hit by a car which officially didn't exist...).

If we all report this sort of thing then it will eventually show on police statistics and just maybe that will help us get them to take drivers assaulting cyclists more seriously. You can make them more interested if you rock up with a copy of the Road Traffic Act and the CPS guidelines for it. Backing from your MP doesn't do any harm either (probably only works if she cycles too).

dilemna

No, it would be a waste of your time.

jacknorell

Report it. Nothing may come of it, but anything with a crime reference number does stay on file and if there are a number of them, action will end up being taken.

All those saying not to report, thanks so much for keeping aggressive and clearly dangerous drivers on the road!