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Went out for a road ride with the missus an her friend this morning, all nice and good, beautiful sunny day. Heading back into town there is a dual carriageway section of road, with a parking lane on the side (rough potholed & full of rubbish and parked cars)
It's all quiet with not many cars as there seems to be an unofficial Easter Tuesday holiday going on. I'm riding happily in the left lane 1/3-1/2 way out few cars coming past etc. I hear a car come up behind and slow down guess they must be stopping/pulling in etc then some loud blasts of the horn. Look round to see someone trying to get me out of his way, room to use the other lane just too lazy to actually pass me. I give a "What you on about shrug" and he starts to get really close behind, I'm getting a bit worried so checking where he is and slowing down a bit.
He then runs into the back of my bike (we had slowed down thankfully) I stop get off and suggest he needs to stop and talk/exchange details. He tries to drive off so I put my bike in front of the car as he heads for the parking lane.
At this point I'm fumbling for my phone to get a pic of his registration. The missus and her friend have turned round and are coming back. Another car who was following stops and watches on. He gets out, comes over & pushes my bike away. Ranting about how I shouldn't be in the road, was in the wrong place etc and starts to push me. Trying to stay calm I roll with it and let him push me back away from the road. Ask for his details and calmly ask why he ran into me (he denies it) Tell him I will call the police. He then flings a right hook (in a very lame way) and hits me on the lid (glad I was wearing one) and probably decides he had better leave, get pics of his car and the paint from his number plate on my back tyre.
As he leaves the other driver gets out and is happy to be a witness.
We ride down to the police station to find him waiting there, ignore him go in and ask to report Traffic accident and assault. Woman at the desk has just heard his complaint tries to suggest as it's a bit of hassle both ways just to leave it, turns out he had just accused me of starting on him and threatening him, he only hit me in self defense. Also said there was a chance they would charge me if we took it further.
Sticking to my guns point out the 3 witnesses and that I never touched him. After a quick conference they agree to listen to me. We could hear them interviewing him and after about 5mins the guy talking to me goes out looks at the bike and the car and suggests that the long paint line must have been caused by him hitting me, which he was denying. He goes off on one and then the breathalyser comes out which calmed him down a bit...
Short version after taking our statements and reading the other guys the guy thought there were 5/6 things they could do him for and that he had no doubt that we were telling the truth.
Just need to drop the bike down in the shop to be looked over properly and wait and see what the police do.
In the end I was amazed I was so calm and resisted the urge to hit him.
He sounds like he has issues.. Well done for keeping it together.
Well done for a brilliant result - keeping calm is tough and it's rare to have ANY witnesses!
Excellent outcome. The guy who got out and punched me had an unregistered car and the Police couldn't trace him, despite ANPR. An independent driver as a witness is all you need.
Jesus, I really thought that was going to end badly.
So did I at one point... feeling a but calmer not just hope they follow through
Wel done. Shame you had to hold your ground so firmly in getting the police to do their job though.
giving the woman on the desk the benefit of the doubt as we heard she had been on all Easter...
Well done for keeping your calm sir 🙂
*goes into keyboard warrior stylee* Don't think I'd of done, he'd of got some of Tons famous fist pie off me. 
I keep thinking to myself, "I'm not going to read anymore of these Road Rage threads because I always end up getting pissed off".
This one actually cheered me up 🙂
I'm almost as impressed that you were out riding so early (for fun not commuting) as the fact you managed to restrain yourself...
veey impressed at your handling of the whole thing!
Shame about the ride ruined by a knobber.
"Paint" off his number plate? Was it a 60s car?
Onzadog - Member
Wel done. Shame you had to hold your ground so firmly in getting the police to do their job though.
Do you have any idea how many "he said, she said" complaints the Police get every day? All have to be dealt with fairly, I suggest you should save your side-swipes for the idiot who decided to get the pre-emptive fake complaint in, from what I can see, the police and the OP got the right result in the end. So pat on the back to both.
Plus points for keeping calm, and more for persisting with the police. There initial response to 5 or 6 crimes in one incident sounds a little disconcerting...
Its Australia so not uncommon to be riding at thus time and the number plates are pressed metal and paint. I can see how the desk person was just ready to go home but better result hopefully.
This is brilliant, make sure you keep us updated with the outcome.
Why be calm through all that? Because society has emasculated you? Because you are nice and good and the people you experienced today are not?
I avoid roads these days. Cycling on British roads is shit because there are too many ignorant thickos on the roads. I think the majority of motorists are ok though but the government likes to make things interesting with road pinches, inadequate cycle lane widths and narrow Victorian roads.
I guess well done for keeping your cool. This will now spin in your mind and upset your being for ages. Have a beer, joint, sex, something..
I'd like to think I would have done Kung Fu on them all. I don't know any Kung Fu.
Obvious troll van cough cough?
Keeping calm allowed me to present evidence to the police which hopefully will lead to something useful..
Going all keyboard warrior it would make it harder for the police to do their job and cloud the other facts.
[i]Obvious troll van cough cough?[/i]
Wouldn't have though so. I agree with everything he said. (Maybe because I don't avoid British roads)
well done sir I would have chinned him tbh when he swung for me - nice to know they did all this then went and reported you - some folk really are idiots but to then think they are right is just madness
hopefully you have made a tit a better driver as well
Mike I am on your side. I guess I am just projecting how I feel.
I avoid roads/confrontation these days. Every journey if long enough results in people trying to hurt you IME.
Its Australia
My memory of driving in Australia was shaped by two events:
1) when we were looking to buy a (second hand) car. We pointed out that the passenger-side wing mirror was missing and the dealer said [i]"Doesn't matter. You don't need that one. Look, my car doesn't have one either. No one really uses them"[/i]
2) about a month after buying said car it was written off by someone smashing into the back of us while we were stopped at traffic lights.
I had my bike out there but I stayed well away from the roads!
And well done for keeping calm and pushing for legal justice.
Sadly incidents like this do make me think about the value of helmetcams - without a witness I suspect you'd have been ignored.
Sadly incidents like this do make me think about the value of helmetcams - without a witness I suspect you'd have been ignored.
Yep I was thinking that, there was a crowd source one being developed that was dual camera front & back which would have been good, shame they were pitching at GoPro prices not £50.
I was worried about witnesses until the guy came in and made a complete arse of himself and both the policeman and the forensics guys went "Yep that bike tyre was moving when the paint got on it" but will be glad to here the follow up.
Van Cough Cough, sorry I thought your post was a troll, in the end I felt better for being calm and taking the moral high ground. Thinking back it could have gone differently had I lost it too.
Bargain that, Graham: [url= http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HD-Car-DVR-CCTV-Camera-Video-Accident-Driving-Recorder-NIGHT-VISION-/190769130128?pt=UK_AudioTVElectronics_Video_Camcorders&hash=item2c6ab9ea90 ]£15![/url]
well done sir I would have chinned him tbh when he swung for me
But you're usually so mild-mannered. 😕
Bargain that, Graham: £15!
LOL. 😀 I wasn't planning on buying one anyway - I just got an email the other day that mentioned them.
I guess it is so cheap because a car one can be a bit bulkier. I don't fancy having that thing stuck to my helmet.
I think there is a market for a cheap forward-and-rear wide angle helmetcam with continuous looping recording and an "incident" button on it.
Who wants to do the Kickstarter video...?
I'd be keen to hear an update on the outcome of this case, if you'd be so kind as to keep us posted. It would be nice to hear some justice being done for once
Not sure I like the idea of helmet cams either. It's soul destroying watching the results on youtube. Has life really come to this? Every ****er filming one another?
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spectacam/spectacam-a-dual-video-sports-helmet-cam-with-wifi
Will post an update when I get one.
Myself and a former poster from here were threatened with a tyre Iron on Saturday for riding 2 abreast. It didn't come too much as we keep cycling behind him as we were on our way home and he was going the same way. A police came the other way and we reported him but I doubt they didn't much about It.
Not sure I like the idea of helmet cams either.
Me neither - but it seems that a no-injury no-witness complaint from a cyclist will be dismissed by police if it is just your word against the drivers. Even if it could have easily been fatal.
Will post an update when I get one.
Erm... [i]"Funding Unsuccessful: This project reached the deadline without achieving its funding goal on December 18"[/i] 🙁
Sorry will post update on the police action. ...
2 comments 1 post
Ah see what you mean mike. Yes it would be good to hear the result of this case. Good luck!
I bet the driver was using Strava.
The driver sounds like a right C***, knowing he's done wrong and trying to report you before you get a chance to do him. Hope he gets done/loses his job/home/wife/kids and ends up feeding the fish somewhere.
Well done on staying calm and letting the law take care of it (however reluctantly)
Glad you are ok.
I had something similar. The important thing now is to pursue this with the police. Make sure that they given you a crime reference number and also notify the incident to your insurance company. You may have legal cover on this.
Write down the sequence of events, who said what and when, the time and location of the incident, even the weather and visibility at the time. The more info you can write down, the better when it comes to court. That could be several months away and you will forget things. Ask your witnesses to do the same. Make copies of your pics. Take pics of the paint on your bike etc.
The key here is to be as thorough as possible.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Cheers
Sanny
I was wondering how the OP managed to find a Police station with a real live officer inside until I read it was Australia.
You may have legal cover on this.
Even ignoring the fact he's in Australia, I'm not sure of the significance of that in such a situation.
van cough cough - Why be calm through all that? Because society has emasculated you? Because you are nice and good and the people you experienced today are not?
No because he is an adult and knows that one does not take the law into his own hands, justice is not an eye for an eye, one should treat others as you expect, if you wallop someone you may actually hurt them, and he is man enough not to have to resort to violence to prove his masculinity.
Well done mikewsmith, respect to you mate.
Why be calm through all that? Because society has emasculated you?
Good thing that we still have such manly men as yourself, totally unaffected by society or it's template for how a male should be or act, in this day and age.
The funny thing is that the driver in question no doubt shares your views on this matter.
Every journey[b] if long enough [/b]results in people trying to hurt you IME.
Every Journey, if long enough, will result in Death 😉
It does seem to be a feature of many stories I read online, both road ragey and bike thefty, that the default position of the police seems to be that you're being a nuisance and there isn't anything that they intend to do about what's being reported.
I know "Da Fedz" have a hard job, are under-resourced and that the criminal justice system is broken (if the CPS even let things get as far as formalities in court) but surely there will come a point where people just lose confidence in the police / system and stop reporting things?
It's not a big leap from people having no confidence in the police and them deciding that they'll be better sorting things out for themselves...
Good on ya....
Nah, you just have to go into Sainsbury's now, don't you, find them in their little booth? "Morning officer, pint of milk please. And can I report a crime?"I was wondering how the OP managed to find a Police station with a real live officer inside until I read it was Australia.
Well todays update...
they have interviewed all the witnesses, the guy who stopped didn't see the punch to me but probably confimed most of what I said, my friend who was with us confirmed what I said and saw the punch thrown. Same policeman interviewed her as spoke to me yesterday. Result he is going to be charged.
and for balance a pic from the better bit of the ride - this is why riding on the road in Oz is worth it
[url= http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8244/8612283253_54c444ea87.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikewsmith/8612283253/ ]Out in the orchards with liz @squizardo and Celia[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/mikewsmith/ ]Mike Smith 79[/url], on Flickr
Result he is going to be charged.
Good work mike!