[Closed] Reporting abusive drivers - companies' responses?

Reported it to the police?

I posted a negative review of a skip driver's actions on FB. Had an excellent response. I was a driver and there were tow elderly cyclists ahead who I did not overtake due to oncoming traffic. Unmarked lorry was about 1m from my rear bumper (not that I care). When he eventually passed at a safe place on a roundabout, I took a note of the name on the skip.

There has been publicised cases of drivers losing their jobs for bad driving. Punishment passes and the like.

I have reported a couple of drivers and thats the normal response - "we will deal with it but not tell you the outcome". One in particular the company was very apologetic and did sound like they would be taking action. Horrendous dangerous pass in town from a liveried vehicle

But then I did have a stock response when people made ridiculous complaints about staff to me. " I will speak to the staff member and ensure they are reminded of their duties" which of course means very little

In your case especially if you have video I would be reporting it to the police. these people need to lose their jobs and their licenses

" I don’t want to see someone lose their job,"

I don't agree, they are clearly in the wrong job. Sacked and banned I reckon.

I've only reported to a company three times. First was a removals firm, they hung up on me. Second said the driver was their boss, they would mention it to him but he wouldn't like it, then hung up on me. Third was a bus company, 3 incidents from a single bus down a stretch of road (close pass, then pulled out on me, then another close pass) - in this case they took a statement, said sorry then wouldn't tell me what happened. A friend who works out of the same depot told me that the guy has had numerous complaints and just gets asked to take more care each time.

Camera and police for me now on, although they aren't much better (3 reports in last month - 1st I complained at no action to be told they put wrong comments on wrong video and it was too late to remedy, 2nd 'course or conditional offer', 3rd said they would 'process the offence' but the status shows 'none').

Sainsburys gave me a twenty five quid voucher after being close passed by one of their van drivers. Reported in person at the store. Harder to fob off face to face!

It's not unusual for them to decline to tell you the outcome. Imagine if you were the employee and it was a disgruntled neighbour/customer telling fibs, and then you can go round telling everyone how you got him fired/disciplined etc. I reported a bus driver for flying through a red when pedestrians were crossing but declined to give them the video evidence as didn't particularly want to see them fired. Didn't make much difference as they stated they just reviewed the in-bus footage instead! They declined to comment on the action but I get the impression the driver may no longer be with them...

I think it was a classic 'driver distracted' issue, not watching the road.

Waitrose gave me a £20 voucher and said their driver would undergo a re-training course.

” I don’t want to see someone lose their job,”

I don’t agree, they are clearly in the wrong job. Sacked and banned I reckon.

What, sacked on the spot on the basis of one person ringing up and complaining? Who gets to set the standards, how does the company get to tell if the person complaining is being reasonable or exaggerating or just lying? How would you like it if your boss sacked you because someone rang them up and complained about you? no trial, no testing of their complaint?

If what the driver did was a stackable offence then call the police and get a conviction then they can be sacked. But accidentally cutting someone up, or even getting into a bit of aggressive hand gesturing over who was in the wrong (things are very rarely cut and dry when it comes to altercations not he road - there is usually some level of proportionate blame on both parties) is a case of your word against theirs.

In most cases a minor reprimand and 're-training' is all that is required and if they are repeat offenders then every company will have a disciplinary procedure. If what they did was careless or dangerous driving or driving without due care and attention then call the police. If you have no reason to think the police will take action then you have no reason to expect the company to sack someone over you ringing them up.

Crikey...some people just prove the point that power corrupts and ultimate power corrupts completely. Most people just cannot handle any level of power.

If supposedly professional driver either deliberately or via careless driving PUT MY LIFE AT RISK then yes - for sure they should be sacked.

its not going to happen on the basis of an uncorroborated allegation and should not but with witnesses or video evidence - yes they should be sacked

Edit - criminal prosecution requires beyond reasonable doubt, disciplinary balance of probabilities

i really cannot believe you think its acceptable for a driver to put peoples life in danger with no comeback

Can be useful and not necessarily to get people sacked. Middle aged van driver neighbour stormed around my house and bawled out my 18 year daughter for parking in ‘his space’ on the public road outside his house. He knew I wasn’t home and she was an easy target to bully and she was scared witless. When I got home a few days later from a MTB trip I went around to see him. Told him I don’t want any more aggressive behaviour or I would report it to his employer as he came around in his logo emblazened work clothes and his employers telephone number is all over the van he wanted to park. Can’t imagine his national employer would be chuffed at what he did or any continuing problems. Been trouble free for 2 years now. No frozen sausages required.

Driver was just being an asshole while we were both stopped at lights (Apropos of no prior incident). He beeped and gestured for me to get out of 'his' way. When I didn't, he drove (slowly) forwards into the red cyclist advanced stop line box, so I turned my phone on to start recording.

My phone video recording just shows a mouthy gobshite in an Uber road raging over nothing whilst parked in the red box immediately behind me. If I was head of a company, I wouldn't want a mouthy gobshite representing it. I'm sure they have disciplinary processes for that. On the other hand, I don't think that's enough to prosecute (?), hence I reported it to Uber but not the police.

I should really get a rear-facing camera, that would have proven he was driving at me. It's not even the worst thing that's happened to me recently, but he seemed like exactly the sort of person who should be made to consider the privilege of driving. I dread to think what he's like when someone actually slights him...

It is galling to see "professional drivers" going about their business and using their HGV's and Buses as essentially very blunt weapons as they've had a minor disagreement/ inconvenience from another legitimate road user. Ive had it, I've seen it, it's worrying. Same as white van man and boy racers but these guys are specifically trained to be on the road day in day out plying their trade. It's obvs not the same but a reasonably similar analogy is a doctor having a bad morning getting into work/ argument with boss/ busy day and then getting the hump with someone who's a bit slow shuffling into the consulting room and then giving them some injection or prescription that they know could kill them to "get their own back"! Think about it.

I live in a street I have to walk up and don with he kids to school day in day out. Theres a section of pavement that's 1" wider, no more than the pram wheels and has a 3 storey house up the side so no escape. There a 7.5tonne weight limit on the high street as its dangerous when trucks pass at 30 along that section. Every morning and night I walk that route there are trucks using that road up to and above 44 tonnes. It is every time. They know they can't use it but the alternative takes another 30 minutes but doesn't put mine and others kids lives at risk. I've mentioned it to drivers waiting in the wrong queue in the lights, some pretend not to speak English, some tell me to f&*k off, some look shifty/ guilty and then gun it through, the odd one pulls over and takes the right lane and avoids it. One artic driver did that 2 weeks ago and used the right route after I (shamed him by mentioning) mentioned it to him. The following week he was there again and took the banned route. same guy.

I've tweeted the big name companies of the drivers that do this with a pic of their truck in the restricted zone. Some say there delivering, they're not, its obvious if they are; some say they'll have a word; some obviously do as a couple of regular more than once a day culprits now don't do it after a few tweets.

It seems our local copper doesn't care. he's often busy at the school crossing stopping cars who fail to stop for for our children and the lollipop lady outside the school.

It drives me nuts. That and massive trucks tailgating me when I have the kids in the car with me because I've dared to leave decent stopping distance in from of me.

We need to take action where appropriate against this sort of antisocial and dangerous motoring. It's no different than shopping a drink driver who's blatantly over the limit and getting in the car.

Video or photo evidence is the way forward, just as reporting close passes etc. It's not someones word then, it's patently obvious. Just like a speed camera/ breathalyser doesn't lie.

Nobody's got anything to fear if they drive appropriately and safely, leaving their emotions at home.

On the other hand, I don’t think that’s enough to prosecute (?), hence I reported it to Uber but not the police.

You know its an offence for a vehicle to stop in an ASL box, if that's what it was? To then get gobby about it, I'd be asking the Police to have a look.

If what the driver did was a stackable offence

Are forklifts road legal?

I had a van driver try to overtake me on a blind bend so I took primary positions. He didn’t like that and started driving about an inch from my tyre and beeping his horn. I stopped and got off the bike to ask him what his problem was.

He started shouting and saying I shouldn’t be riding like that. When I calmly explained what I was doing he changed tactic and screamed “there is nothing coming mate. You need glasses” I was wearing glasses and just laughed in his angry little face. Some people are dicks. If his van had details on it I would have called his employer.

You know its an offence for a vehicle to stop in an ASL box, if that’s what it was? To then get gobby about it, I’d be asking the Police to have a look.

Yeah, that's what it was. The trouble is that although it's an offence, the Highway Code says it's safer to stop within the box if the lights change unexpectedly (rather than continue blindly through a red light, I suppose). It's bullshit, but it means that without a video of the car moving into, then stopping in the box, drivers can claim they were doing as the HC suggests. Which in turn means police will find it difficult to prosecute.

But yeah you're right. I should upload it so they can have a look.

” I don’t want to see someone lose their job,”

I don’t agree, they are clearly in the wrong job. Sacked and banned I reckon.

Why? Get them sacked (assuming enough evidence etc etc) and let someone else have the job who is likely to kill you

let someone else have the job who is likely to kill you

WHY DO YOU HATE ME?

The scenario. I'm driving along the road, and am more or less alongside a bus at a bus stop. The bus indicates and pulls out as I'm level with the rear wheels. I have to swerve to avoid being hit, and hit the horn. I'm then effectively being funnelled into a bollard island, so hit the accelerator and cut in front of the bus. As I'm doing so I look in my mirror and see the bus driver giving me a "w8nker" sign out of the window.

I made a note of the bus number and time and rang the company. I explained what had happened and was asked for a written account, which I provided.

A week or so later I got a call from the bus company asking whether I would be willing to provide a sworn affidavit for a tribunal. I read an article in the local rag a month or so later about a driver who was sacked after a tribunal. It made specific reference to my incident (which was one of a chain of similar events) and that the CCTV footage from the bus showed him driving without due care and being abusive.

No qualms whatsoever.

I had a very close pass from a black cab driver in Edinburgh. So close I had to bang on his side window, and maintained eye contact through his wing mirror. Caught up with him at the lights and he told me I was a “worthless piece of ****, nobody cares about cyclists and if I report him to the Police they will just laugh”. This all happened with no prior incident with this driver, totally out of the blue as I was cycling in a cycle lane! I reported him to the council and received a lovely letter saying they had hauled him in for a disciplinary and that this incident will remain on his license forever. I was quite chuffed with that outcome.

Hmm that’s good. Are Uber drivers licensed by the council in the same way? Maybe it should be the council rather than the police that I shop him in to.

I reported a bus driver for flying through a red when pedestrians were crossing but declined to give them the video evidence as didn’t particularly want to see them fired

I'm genuinely puzzled by this. You're happy to tell their employer what they did but only in a way the employer can disregard - why bother them? And what would the driver have to do before you'd supply evidence if flying through a red light where pedestrians were crossing was below your threshold, would actually hitting someone be enough?

Hmm that’s good. Are Uber drivers licensed by the council in the same way?

I’m not sure but it’s worth a try.

Edit - Just checked and they need a Private Hire License which is issued by the council

As someone who used to drive for a company that had the "How's my Driving?" sticker on the back of the van I would definitely say report it.

A lot of companies are signed up to the Fleet Operator's Recognition Scheme (FORS) and part of the rating they get given is how they deal with complaints about drivers, not just their driving but their parking, loading/unloading and their attitude. If a company is on the FORS scheme then I can pretty much guarantee the managers are incentivised to improve their rating.
Even for companies that just have their own scheme or not, having to deal with complaints about their staff regularly makes it their issue and they are more likely to do something about it. You may not get a result from your complaint but if one driver is getting more complaints than others then any Transport Manager worth being called that will look into it, primarily driven by the fact that poor driving leads to vehicle damage (accident and excessive wear) that can lead to avoidable downtime.

My old job had their own scheme for the last 6 years I worked there and in all that time I had 3 calls to it about my driving. One was a genuine mistake, I misjudged the speed of a car going up a hill as I pulled out while fully loaded, and the other two were actually thanks for good driving (it does happen!). One was from a cycle club who had been out the day before the Velo Wales and thanked me for giving them plenty of space and time before overtaking them and another was from a pair of horseriders who I let go across a narrow bridge only for the van behind me to overtake me and nearly take them out. We did have a few drivers who were getting constant complaints, mainly for mobile use and poor parking, but one would get a complaint every few days. He was eventually got rid of after he had an accident and flat refused to fill in the accident report as he thought he was in the right. We never had any convictions or dismissals due to reports from the public at my branch but there were a few nationally so the scheme does work.

As always though it requires the public to use them.

If it’s a service bus you don’t or shouldn’t need to give them a video. A modern double decker positively bristles with cctv cameras.