Some drivers!

Mbike said:

good bit was she actually hit the pedal). There then followed a few minutes
of f-ing and blinding, an observation that she hoped I died of cancer (not
sure where that came from) and several repeated assertions that if she saw
me on the road again she would kill me.

Commiserations. I've had very similar once - not nice. He (in this
case) didn't wish cancer on me, but having asserted he'd have me off
my bike, roared off wheels spinning. Some way down the road, as I
went past a junction, he came roaring out of the side road, again
wheels spinning, and I thought he really had decided to kill me.
Having emerged behind me, he went past sooo close I was actually
surprised I remained upright.

I reported it to the police. I never heard anything. Maybe that's
their policy with attempted murder - ignore it and hope it goes away.

regards, Ian SMith
--
|\ /| no .sig
|o o|
|/ \|

Ian Smith said:

I reported it to the police. I never heard anything. Maybe that's
their policy with attempted murder - ignore it and hope it goes away.

They told me unless I was badly injured they weren't interested.
If you do get hurt then go to A&E and explain what happened. They're
more likely to be sympathetic and I've been told they'll chase the
driver for medical costs where possible!

peter

"Ian Smith" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 20:27:39 -0000, Mbike <> wrote:

I reported it to the police. I never heard anything. Maybe that's
their policy with attempted murder - ignore it and hope it goes away.

regards, Ian SMith
--
I didn't even think about reporting it it's my area of work and would have
been my word against hers. Had I damaged the front wing I might have as
then there is an obligation to exchange details. One thing I forgot was
somewhere in the verbals she said she was in a hurry to get her children's
tea.

me

On 13/01/2006 20:27, Mbike said,

Quoted message said:

... but this deliberate
and dangerous driving isn't picked up by the cameras we need more traffic
police and education of drivers.

This is a particular bugbear of mine. So-called "safety" cameras just
don't do what they are supposed to do (sorry - yes they do, they
generate revenue!). I think this situation is another case where speed
itself isn't an issue, but dangerous and arrogant driving is. Trouble
is, people know that nothing will happen so they just carry on. I
actually bought a new copy of the Highway Code recently to see if red
lights had become advisory and roundabouts had changed to the European
priority system :-) OK, that wasn't the reason, but I'm sure you get my
drift!

If it's any consolation, the same thing happens to car drivers with
2x55W lights on. There is a huge advantage though for a car driver in
that situation.... Fortunately my route to work is virtually all
cycle-path, but there are some dodgy road crossings. My biggest danger
is oncoming cyclists not knowing that we ride on the left in this
country, and there is that "Who's going to move over first - oops, not
both together!" moment. I think I've got it easy!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Mbike said:

speeding but this deliberate and dangerous driving isn't picked up by the
cameras we need more traffic police and education of drivers. Thanks for
listening that's off my chest now.

Good stuff. You've come to the right place.
Stupid, stupid person you encountered.

On Fri, 13 Jan 2006 21:34:56 +0000, Paul Boyd <[email hidden]>
said in <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

This is a particular bugbear of mine. So-called "safety" cameras just
don't do what they are supposed to do

Don't worry, multiply-convicted speeders turn out to have more than
double the national average collision rate, mileage adjusted, so
actually the cameras *are* catching the dangerous drivers.

One problem which remains unaddressed, though, is that the number of
traffic plod has dropped like a stone since traffic policing was
effectively removed from the Core Duties of forces.

You should write to your MP about that; it would be good if the
automated enforcement was backed by police enforcement as well.

Guy
--
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

"To every complex problem there is a solution which is
simple, neat and wrong" - HL Mencken

Mbike said:

Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me about an
hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a flashing high intensity
white led.

Hummm, just what does it look like from infront? I've seen drivers
confused by motorbikes with twin lights, IIRC for a long while it was
twin main, single dip, now its twin dip and it seems to register as 'car
in the distance' with a lot of drivers...

No excuse for the rest of it though!

badger said:

Hummm, just what does it look like from infront? I've seen drivers
confused by motorbikes with twin lights, IIRC for a long while it was
twin main, single dip, now its twin dip and it seems to register as 'car
in the distance' with a lot of drivers...

I added a single 10W lamp and it doesn't seem to make any difference
whether I use one bright, one normal or both lights.

At least I can now find my keys in the dark with it <g>

pete

"Mbike" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me about
an hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a flashing high
intensity white led. I braked hard, swerved, skidded and hit the front
wing, fortunately gently. The driver wound down her window, perhaps to
apologise? No she spat at me and then slammed open the drivers door into
my leg (the good bit was she actually hit the pedal). There then followed
a few minutes of f-ing and blinding, an observation that she hoped I died
of cancer (not sure where that came from) and several repeated assertions
that if she saw me on the road again she would kill me. So far all I had
said - honestly - was "watch it" although I did shout rather loudly.
After which as I tried to get away she drove along side pushing me out
into oncoming traffic (it was a fixed and difficult to manoeuvre) before
speeding off whilst leaning out of her window looking back and shouting.
The accident I can live with we all make mistakes but the rest !!! My job
involves dealing with angry people, I did not provoke this. Perhaps she's
related to the idiot who followed me this morning in my car hooting and
flashing because I was doing 30 in a 30 limit and then overtook on a
pedestrian crossing. I'm no innocent, I can't afford any more points for
speeding but this deliberate and dangerous driving isn't picked up by the
cameras we need more traffic police and education of drivers. Thanks for
listening that's off my chest now.

I had a similar response a few weeks back. Female driver overtakes me on a
bend, even though I was in the primary riding position. A car approaches in
the opposite direction so she decides that she must get back over to the
correct side of the road while nearly squashing me. Caught her up at a give
way and I tap on her window to ask why she didn't wait to overtake in safe
manner and that she nearly hit me?

She just turned round and told me to "[censored]" and then roared of into the
distance. I think it must be an 'I'm not going to admit it was my fault'
reaction. But it is scary that fellow human beings judge your life to be of
no value because your cycling.

John

badger said:

Mbike said:

Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me
about an hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a
flashing high intensity white led.

Hummm, just what does it look like from infront? I've seen drivers
confused by motorbikes with twin lights, IIRC for a long while it was
twin main, single dip, now its twin dip and it seems to register as
'car in the distance' with a lot of drivers...

Place twin lights which operate together above each other. As is now the
requirement on motorcycles (though some riders seem to re-wire side-by-side
dip/main combinations to operate together).

Quoted message said:

No excuse for the rest of it though!

Quite. Only possible help might be a camera or camera-phone. Sometimes
surprising what a camera does to aggressive idiots, but not a universal
cure.

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

in message <[email hidden]>, Paul

Boyd (') said:

I
actually bought a new copy of the Highway Code recently to see if red
lights had become advisory and roundabouts had changed to the European
priority system :-) OK, that wasn't the reason, but I'm sure you get
my drift!

Actually, that's not a bad idea for those of you who habitually cycle in
suburban streets where these incidents seem most common. Carry a fresh,
clean copy of the highway code in a plastic envelope. In the event of an
incident, silently hand it to the driver and cycle away.

Potentially effective, can't possibly be interpreted as an assault or
otherwise offensive, makes you feel better. And will really [censored] the
driver off.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; 99% of browsers can't run ActiveX controls. Unfortunately
;; 99% of users are using the 1% of browsers that can...
[seen on /. 08:04:02]

Nigel Cliffe said:

badger said:

Mbike said:

Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me
about an hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a
flashing high intensity white led.

Hummm, just what does it look like from infront? I've seen drivers
confused by motorbikes with twin lights, IIRC for a long while it was
twin main, single dip, now its twin dip and it seems to register as
'car in the distance' with a lot of drivers...

Place twin lights which operate together above each other. As is now the
requirement on motorcycles (though some riders seem to re-wire side-by-side
dip/main combinations to operate together).

Cos if you lose a bulb it goes very dark. On the Trophy across France
one night I lost a bulb and didn't notice till I stopped for fuel.
Replaced it the next morning. Would have been a different story with
only one.

Otoh, the bloody stupid Disco driver nearly had me by pulling out right
in front me. Wasn't till afterwards I realised he thought I was a mile
back down a long straight road. He was about 60 though.

Fwiw I *much* prefer two dipped bulbs where possible.

Tosspot said:

Otoh, the bloody stupid Disco driver nearly had me by pulling out right
in front me. Wasn't till afterwards I realised he thought I was a mile
back down a long straight road.

In the dark where you can't see the vehicle, drivers tend to use light
separation as an estimate of distance. So two close together lights on
a bike could be confused with two further apart lights on a car at a
greater distance. That's why I like one or both of the lights to be
flashing so its clear its not a car they are looking at even for the
terminally brain dead.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

Tony Raven said:

Tosspot said:

Otoh, the bloody stupid Disco driver nearly had me by pulling out
right in front me. Wasn't till afterwards I realised he thought I was
a mile back down a long straight road.

In the dark where you can't see the vehicle, drivers tend to use light
separation as an estimate of distance. So two close together lights on
a bike could be confused with two further apart lights on a car at a
greater distance. That's why I like one or both of the lights to be
flashing so its clear its not a car they are looking at even for the
terminally brain dead.

Encountered a pedestrian walking on the road in the dark some ago, with
a red light high upon his arm shining towards the front. He would have
been safer without !

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

Nigel Cliffe said:

Quite. Only possible help might be a camera or camera-phone. Sometimes
surprising what a camera does to aggressive idiots, but not a universal
cure.

I made a mounting bracket based on this website's instructions
http://www.camerahacker.com/build/Bicycle_Camera_Mount.shtml and it
works pretty well for a small digital camera.

I find it amusing looking back at video footage of people
pulling/stepping out/otherwise trying to knock me off. I'd like to
think non cyclists who share the comic appeal would also find it
educational and try not to make the same mistakes themselves!

peter

Quoted message said:

Well I'm still alive after a car pulled out of a side tuning on me about an

hour ago notwithstanding my 2 X 10 watt lights and a flashing high
intensity
white led. I braked hard, swerved, skidded and hit the front wing,
fortunately gently. The driver wound down her window, perhaps to
apologise?

Commiserations. It's incidents like these that mean I, like many
people, don't cycle after dark (dusk is OK) except on cycleways, which
I'm fortunate enough to live near. Cowardly, I know, but
self-preservation - though Abergele proves daylight ain't safe either.

Was there "good" streetlighting nearby? I find it easier when there is,
but it's my guess that on a dark country road when you might have been
the only light approaching, she'd have seen you.

John said:

I had a similar response a few weeks back. Female driver overtakes me on a
bend, even though I was in the primary riding position. A car approaches in
the opposite direction so she decides that she must get back over to the
correct side of the road while nearly squashing me. Caught her up at a give
way and I tap on her window to ask why she didn't wait to overtake in safe
manner and that she nearly hit me?

She just turned round and told me to "[censored]" and then roared of into the
distance. I think it must be an 'I'm not going to admit it was my fault'
reaction. But it is scary that fellow human beings judge your life to be of
no value because your cycling.

I had that whilst riding my wifes 100cc training bike, the "ladies" golf
had a number of size 10 motorcross steel capped boot-like dents (she ran
the bikes wheels over in her attempt to get away when forced to stop by
traffic) as well as a full length control lever level scar (from where
she attempted to push me off the road) down one side.....

She was waiting for me, to finish me off? The next day too, but I was on
my work BMW...

badger said:

She was waiting for me, to finish me off? The next day too, but I was on
my work BMW...

White with a red stripe?

...d

In article said:

Things I've seen I like are blinking lights, wheel reflectors (I use
both these), LEDs on the pedals, this is unmistakable when seen from
behind

I saw a pair of these in use recently: http://www.pedalite.com/
Quite pretty in a twinkly sort of way.