Man nearly down (and out)

The Rookie

F**k me that was a close one, heading home last night via town, following a double decker and a car down a hill, Strava says I was doing 28mph when a moron decides to overtake despite 1/ there isn't really enough room between me and the car I'm following, and 2/ there is a central island coming up.

I brake as hard as I dare (loose gravel down there) as he realises his error, hits the horn and drives into me, I stay upright by leaning on his car as he comes across and manage to turn into the left hand turn, I can't make the turn at that speed and just manage to shed enough speed to bunny hop over the kerb onto the footpath where it crosses the island splitting the lanes and then brake to a near stop before hitting the opposite kerb, enough that I can turn right to get back onto the road I'd just been pushed off. You can see my avoidance fairly well! Thank god for the mountain biking or that bunny hop wouldn't have come off!


I thought I'd got his reg number, but the DVLA car checker says I didn't.

elbowloh

You mean the twunt didn't even stop?

Hope you at least damaged their car a bit!

bendertherobot

Yeah, but, is the bike ok?

veronese68

Time for a change of undergarments after that I expect. Glad you didn't succumb to his best (worst?) efforts to marmalise you.

davis

Crikey. Well done.

slowbike

f*ck me!

I have one descent on the way home that runs into a 30 limit - sometimes vehicles overtake near the top and then slow down so much I have to brake - but I'm fortunate enough that there is no gravel or islands to worry about. It's at this point I wish I had a remote switch for my front lights as I daren't take my hands away from the brake levers to flash them up ...

Why do some drivers only see cyclists as obstacles to get past?!

daddy0

Skills.

I would say something like "hope you've learned your lesson, don't give them room to overtake you, ride primary" etc... But I'd be being a hypocrite - you can't always predict how stupid/insane/psychotic a person behind the wheel of a car is going to be. And sometimes being assertive can make the situation worse when a driver gets frustrated with what they perceive to be a slower road user/ obstacle. Sometime I pretend to be a bit "twitchy" if I want car drivers to think twice about overtaking me.

rower63

Daddy0 wrote:

I would say something like "hope you've learned your lesson, don't give them room to overtake you, ride primary" etc...

It reads to me as if that's exactly what the OP was doing, but the driver decided to go for it anyway

veronese68

rower63 wrote:

Daddy0 wrote:

I would say something like "hope you've learned your lesson, don't give them room to overtake you, ride primary" etc...

It reads to me as if that's exactly what the OP was doing, but the driver decided to go for it anyway

Indeed, occasionally get them alongside when I'm keeping pace with the traffic then they pull across to push me into the kerb. A particular twunt in an Audi A4 with a private plate with 666 in it did this recently, and also tried to kill me on a previous occasion. I noticed his car parked outside his house the other day, not sensible to act like that with such a distinctive plate.

Colinthecop

If you're angry enough, it might be worth waiting at the same spot at roughly the same time to see if the car goes past.

Then you can plan your revenge. :shock:

surrey_commuter

Veronese68 wrote:

rower63 wrote:

Daddy0 wrote:

I would say something like "hope you've learned your lesson, don't give them room to overtake you, ride primary" etc...

It reads to me as if that's exactly what the OP was doing, but the driver decided to go for it anyway

Indeed, occasionally get them alongside when I'm keeping pace with the traffic then they pull across to push me into the kerb. A particular twunt in an Audi A4 with a private plate with 666 in it did this recently, and also tried to kill me on a previous occasion. I noticed his car parked outside his house the other day, not sensible to act like that with such a distinctive plate.

I have noticed that angry person on the approach to Putney Bridge

graeme_s-2

Impressed with the mad skills, I'm pretty sure I'd have had a spectacular crash in the same situation.

A couple of years ago for 3 months my commute home took me down a very steep hill with speed cushions on it. I used to get cars overtaking me near the top, if the road was clear the other way I'd sometimes (probably 3 or 4 times in 3 months) repass them further down the hill.

slowbike

Colinthecop wrote:

If you're angry enough, it might be worth waiting at the same spot at roughly the same time to see if the car goes past.

Then you can plan your revenge. :shock:

What - like get the registration plate then dial 999 and report a car being driven dangerously with the driver waving a handgun out of the window ....

daddy0

Slowbike wrote:

with the driver waving a handgun out of the window ....

Nice touch. Do it.

The Rookie

I must admit to being sorely tempted to stake the road out as it's almost certainly their regular commute, I was so angry I clocked 30mph on the flat trying to catch him at the next roundabout but the one day you want lots of traffic....

I don't really know how I stayed up, but it was a truism to say that everything turned to slow motion and I was able to look at each danger in turn and sort out how to cope, trouble was I turned left thinking I was OK only to realise that at that speed no way was I making the full turn....thank god for a decent front light otherwise I wouldn't have been able to plan my escape.

I was riding primary, I was out to the right of the left hand wheel track, maybe next time I should hug the white line - the one in the middle of the road that is!

slowbike

The Rookie wrote:

I was riding primary, I was out to the right of the left hand wheel track, maybe next time I should hug the white line - the one in the middle of the road that is!

It's at times like that when you want an electromagnetic pulse device on the front of the bike - fire it at the offending vehicle and it stops ... preferably forever as the twonk driving doesn't deserve to.
I can accept mistakes being made, but vehicle drivers really should back off more.

Bet you don't ride with a camera on ..

talius

The Rookie wrote:

I thought I'd got his reg number, but the DVLA car checker says I didn't.

Might that be because it's not taxed?

The Rookie

I don't know, but I wasn't 100% on the last two digits as they weren't illuminated well and my mind was on other things!

Colinthecop

Slowbike wrote:

What - like get the registration plate then dial 999 and report a car being driven dangerously with the driver waving a handgun out of the window ....

No not that one, that can be a good earner for the mental anguish when you sue after being subject to an armed stop...

The old, I-saw-this-car-parked-outside-a-primary-school-and-the-driver-was-touching-themselves-in-that-special-place approach is a hard hitter and attracts the sort of stigma that never really goes away. Never mind the reports that will flag up in any future CRB checks....

Obviously that would be wrong and you must never do it....!!!!

cookeeemonster

Veronese68 wrote:

rower63 wrote:

Daddy0 wrote:

I would say something like "hope you've learned your lesson, don't give them room to overtake you, ride primary" etc...

It reads to me as if that's exactly what the OP was doing, but the driver decided to go for it anyway

Indeed, occasionally get them alongside when I'm keeping pace with the traffic then they pull across to push me into the kerb. A particular twunt in an Audi A4 with a private plate with 666 in it did this recently, and also tried to kill me on a previous occasion. I noticed his car parked outside his house the other day, not sensible to act like that with such a distinctive plate.

I'm just hoping that what I'm thinking happened happened.

cookeeemonster

Rookie - glad you're ok, things like that make my blood boil.

I'd definately report it to the police, you never know...

cookeeemonster

ps. Actually you do know, I dont blame you if you dont wanna waste your time

The Rookie

If I had the reg number I would report it....

Colinthecop

If you know the make and colour and have part of the reg plate, the Cops can do a partial vehicle check that will come up with any close matches of vehicles registered in the area.

It has to be said, what you've described is pretty bad and worth reporting.

veronese68

Colinthecop wrote:

If you know the make and colour and have part of the reg plate, the Cops can do a partial vehicle check that will come up with any close matches of vehicles registered in the area.

It has to be said, what you've described is pretty bad and worth reporting.

Colin often says things are not worth reporting, he knows more about what will and won't be acted upon than we do and if he thinks it's bad enough to report with a partial plate I'd say you have good reason to. Also if he actually made contact with you could that make it leaving the scene of an accident?

slowbike

Colinthecop wrote:

It has to be said, what you've described is pretty bad and worth reporting.

If you're saying that then it has to be done ....


although could it be embellished with the placement of a school ....

meanredspider

Veronese68 wrote:

Colinthecop wrote:

If you know the make and colour and have part of the reg plate, the Cops can do a partial vehicle check that will come up with any close matches of vehicles registered in the area.

It has to be said, what you've described is pretty bad and worth reporting.

Colin often says things are not worth reporting, he knows more about what will and won't be acted upon than we do and if he thinks it's bad enough to report with a partial plate I'd say you have good reason to. Also if he actually made contact with you could that make it leaving the scene of an accident?

The cops round my way are too busy eating donuts and drinking Irn Bru to do anything...

<maybe not the smartest this to say before a week back in the Highlands, eh Colin?> :shock: :twisted: 8)

rolf_f

Colinthecop wrote:

The old, I-saw-this-car-parked-outside-a-primary-school-and-the-driver-was-touching-themselves-in-that-special-place approach is a hard hitter and attracts the sort of stigma that never really goes away. Never mind the reports that will flag up in any future CRB checks....

Obviously that would be wrong and you must never do it....!!!!

Curious how, of all the people on this forum, the one who most commonly advocates criminal behaviour or sees it as a reasonable solution to a problem is a policeman. You really do seem to have a very unpleasant mind. I hope in real life you actually a nice person.

The Rookie

Veronese68 wrote:

Also if he actually made contact with you could that make it leaving the scene of an accident?

Contact was made, it would be failing to stop and also likely failure to report.

I'll go down after dinner tonight.

keyser__soze

The Rookie wrote:

Veronese68 wrote:

Also if he actually made contact with you could that make it leaving the scene of an accident?

Contact was made, it would be failing to stop and also likely failure to report.

Do you have any bruising or pain where contact was made or is there any damage to your bike? Plod never usually bother taking anything further unless there is actual damage.

The Rookie

No, no injury at all, I just leant on the car slightly to stop myself being knocked off the other way, my elbow and upper arm against his C pillar, reported this evening.