number plate register for idiot motorists

hoojammyflip

Is there a register for putting up number plates for idiot drivers? I just had a guy on the way into the office try to overtake me at the red light in the cycling box. When I banged on his window and said he was driving dangerously, I noticed he had a tag for guide dogs for the blind. I said it was ironic that he should be helping blind people while driving so that he risked cyclists lives. He just asked where my lights were so I picked the bike up and shone my Hope V2s in his face. He then told me to get a life. To which I pointed out that I had one and he was risking it. Anyway, rather than fume about this, something could be done to use the information gathered on drivers from incidents like this.

It would be great if there was a list where number plates could be submitted. The list could automatically identify whether the number plate existed in the database and simply sum up the number of times a driver had been noted down. Physical description of the driver would be needed too.

Eventually, when the guy hits a certain sum, attempts could be made to have a word with him. In this way, motorists could be forgiven for initial transgressions. Screw waiting for police to sort this stuff out. I mean vigilante style, at the lights, on his regular commute, 2 cyclists surround the car, and have a gentle word asking him to refrain from being a tw*t. It seems invariably these people will follow a particular drive home, so the visit could just be made to their house.

jds_1981

Lol, relax.

Try reporting via roadsafe. My hope is that if someone tags up sufficient issues the police will at least take note.

DrLex

This any good?

ToeKnee

hoojammyflip wrote:

It seems invariably these people will follow a particular drive home, so the visit could just be made to their house.

Conversely they can follow you home or, worse still, take it out on other cyclists.

Anyway, I hope you feel better having got it off your chest.

greg66_tri_v2.0

hoojammyflip wrote:

It would be great if there was a list where number plates could be submitted. The list could automatically identify whether the number plate existed in the database and simply sum up the number of times a driver had been noted down. Physical description of the driver would be needed too.

Eventually, when the guy hits a certain sum, attempts could be made to have a word with him. In this way, motorists could be forgiven for initial transgressions. Screw waiting for police to sort this stuff out. I mean vigilante style, at the lights, on his regular commute, 2 cyclists surround the car, and have a gentle word asking him to refrain from being a tw*t. It seems invariably these people will follow a particular drive home, so the visit could just be made to their house.

When you've calmed down, re-read this and reflect on it. What you propose is open to massive abuse, and your endgame solution (after "eventually") is going to lead to jail time.

hoojammyflip

My post says vigilante, true. I guess that this might be what upset you, I am sorry. Look it up in the dictionary and consider the possibility that your interpretation is rather narrow. In particular, my post does not condone anything illegal. It says "have a word", twice. The idea of having two cyclists is so that there is a witness.

Basically, the police are too slow and overworked to deal with things until its too late. And even then, they have a tendency to try to stuff issues under the carpet.

slowbike

Unfortunately, a formal system that you propose would be completely open to abuse - witness or not - it will inevitably be a case of "taking the law into your own hands" ...

Now, if you were knocked off your bike and at the scene you threw your broken bike at the driver and the blow happened to kill him then the fact that you've just been knocked off could be taken as mitigating circumstances.

But, just imagine - you've got a car (you don't know the driver) that has tallied X points on your "IM" site - so two people go to "have a word" and end up in a big argument and a driver ends up dead. How is the fact that the car the driver happened to have which may or may not have been involved in some unreported incidents going to mitigate for a pre-meditated confrontation?
It later turns out that the car had recently been sold and the driver who is now dead had nothing to do with the unreported incidents recorded on your proposed site.
Or
It later turns out that the driver had reported stolen number plates to the police some months back and the incidents were nothing to do with them...
Or
The car was a company car
Or
The car was a hire car
Or
The car was being driven by just about anybody else other than the person or persons involved in the unreported incidents....

Sorry - you can't rely on there being just one driver of a vehicle ...

Mikey23

I think the idea has some merit... There could perhaps be a register for idiot cyclists as well... Such as those who go around bashing on drivers windows

Colinthecop

Mikey23 wrote:

I think the idea has some merit... There could perhaps be a register for idiot cyclists as well... Such as those who go around bashing on drivers windows

Could we have one too for those that shine lights in peoples faces or would that need to be separate...?


:shock:

Mikey23

Yup, I think there would be a drop down menu...

People who bash on car windows, shine lights in faces, don't wear helmets, listen to music in either one or both ears, jump red lights and sneak up on the inside of artics would of course go straight to hell where they would be taunted for the rest of eternity With head videos on YouTube made by annoying, geeky 20 year old vigilantes...

Mikey23

... And Emma way or whatever her stoopid name is

cornerblock

Arf.

Excuse me, good evening, terribly sorry to bother you but may we have a gentle word with you? Yes please if you don't mind, it is a bit cold, can we bring the bikes in too? That's very kind, I'll just lean it there against the coat stand. I say that's a big dog, is it a pit bull? It is, good boy, good boy. Well the reason we're here, it's concerning your driving.

Now according to our data base it shows that you've been driving aggressively, and may we add you've also been a bit horrible to a few cyclists, we also know that this has happened on more than one occasion, ooh yes please, milk no sugar thanks. Yes as I was saying according to our records it would seem that you're starting to tot up a fair few, no not for me thanks I'm watching my waistline, incidents with us cyclists....................

Anyhow we are here to ask if you'd kindly...well yes Sir shining a bright torch directly into your eyes is very stupid and dangerous I agree, mmm lovely cup of tea by the way, but I'm pretty sure it was accidental, I will pass on your disapproval though and make sure the cyclist knows that he needs to be more careful with his light in future.

So if you could just be a little bit nicer on the road that would be great, it would make us all a lot happier and it saves us having to pop around again, we don't want to have to bring the heavy mob next time..lol.

Is that all ok? Brilliant. Now if I could just get you to sign here, here and here. There that's your copy, and hopefully we won't need to see you again! Thanks for the tea, no don't be silly I'll see myself out. Bye-bye now.

Colinthecop

Mikey23 wrote:

made by annoying, geeky 20 year old vigilantes...

I read that as Virgins and thought it wouldn't be too bad.

Then I realised my mistake*.


*My mistake being, not ascertaining the sex of these vigilante virgins first. :?

Mikey23

Come to think of it we've not had an expose yet into the sex life of either Emma or pimply yoof with head cam..

Probably cos the press are all in court at the moment on phone hacking charges...

Mikey23

@cb ... Or threaten them with a 62 year old cantankerous git in Lycra who will come round with a baseball bat and ... Fall off his bike

Initialised

Where to I apply for the post of Cantankerous old git?

Seriously the idea of a twitter account you can @DVLA to with a #VRM of the car that offended and if the same car hits a threshold of complaints from unique users it gets pulled over next time it goes near a police car could work or the owner is actively sought out if it goes over a higher limit. "Excuse me sir/madam, we've had a number of complaints regarding a vehicle matching this description" go through the motions, look for dodgyness while checking the car is legal, road worthy, insured and has all the necessary paperwork, as only an officer of the law can. Yes it's open to abuse but so is the legal system especially if you have money.

Similarly why not have a YouTube like site for video footage of bad driving (run by the people for the police) but the police response would be proportional to the actions of the vehicle at the time rather than hitting a number of postings.

The concept is similar to how Twitter, BBM and Facebook were used to destabilise several North African countries and manage riots across a number of UK cities a couple of years ago. So proof of concept has already been done.

greg66_tri_v2.0

Be careful what you wish for. Legitimising a reporting system like this would provide a very persuasive case for cyclists to have number plates.

veronese68

Initialised wrote:

Where to I apply for the post of Cantankerous old git?

Thankfully there's room for more than one cantankerous old git. You can get in line behind the rest of us.

Blacktemplar

hoojammyflip wrote:

2 cyclists surround the car

Blimey. What size of cyclists are we talking about here? Reed Richards? Or are they like the white blood cells in Fantastic Voyage?

Or is it just a very small car? *






*throws ball in air for Father Ted

Blacktemplar

Blacktemplar wrote:

hoojammyflip wrote:

2 cyclists surround the car

Blimey. What size of cyclists are we talking about here? Reed Richards? Or are they like the white blood cells in Fantastic Voyage?

Or is it just a very small car? *






*throws ball in air for Father Ted

DrLex

Blacktemplar wrote:

[...]
Or is it just a very small car? *






*throws ball in air for Father Ted

catches ball and throws it back

Blacktemplar