Interesting dashcam footage.

[Barks]

At work we gave to sign a log sheet as to who is driving the car. I know it is open to abuse, and cumbersomly beareaucratic, but something similar for any car not being driven by the registered keeper might be a way of stopping people, in some cases literally, getting away with 'murder'. No record kept means the registered keeper was driving. I think there was a case a year or so ago when a car hit a cyclist from behind and all that was possible by way if prosecution was the registered keeper being fined for refusing to disclose who was driving. At the moment it is a very big loophole whenever two people are in a car unless there us clear identification if the driver.

[Barks]

And if they did know who was driving just claim you did'nt see the cyclist in front of you as with the Mason case. There really does need to be a fundamental review of the way these things are dealt with.

[old_windbag]

Totally inexcusable behaviour and I think a prosecution is warranted, but the video, significantly in my view, didn't include the roundabout incident that the "innocent party" references. The X5 driver says he "needed" to accelerate to keep safe. I'm suspicious of that statement as going straight ahead at the roundabout he could have just given way to the Focus overtaking - albeit the Focus shouldn't have overtaken there.

My take is the X5 driver took offence at the Focus using a roundabout as an overtaking opportunity and used is large, powerful, intimidating vehicle to accelerate very hard to keep ahead of the focus and caused the Focus to run out of road. And he did that with his two kids in the back.

I think this is how I see it. I viewed that and was shocked at the outcome of the focus drivers behaviour. I then read the text about the incident and as soon as I saw BMW X5 I started questioning what had caused the focus driver to flip as he/she did. There's more to this for definite and I don't believe that the X5 driver is totally clear of clean behaviour. Had the focus driver just stopped as they did, P*ssed the BMW driver off as a revenge for whatever happened then I'd say thats where it should have ended...... but it didn't the revenge clearly was boiling inside the focus driver and they did what was incomprehensible at the end. I'd have them both into the police station and get the full story and see the full dash footage. The focus driver needs to have their licence removed as with the lack of control shown they're a liability and also a check on their past record too, any driving points or criminal convictions then a better chance of getting the CPS to push it further.

But I'd be surprised if this is a one sided story, very surprised.

[Postboxer]

It's ridiculous, any other weapon and you feel they would investigate it more but because it's a car, they seem to treat it as an everyday traffic incident and not bother.

[pete75]

Had the focus driver just stopped as they did, P*ssed the BMW driver off as a revenge for whatever happened then I'd say thats where it should have ended...... but it didn't the revenge clearly was boiling inside the focus driver and they did what was incomprehensible at the end.

Revenge for what - something you've imagined. In any case ideas of "revenge" on other drivers shouldn't even cross the mind of any safe and responsible driver.
The way you mention revenge as if you think it a part of driving means you really need to question your own attitude towards road use.

[old_windbag]

Revenge for what - something you've imagined

Yes we're all imagining a lot with respect to that footage. Like you have imagined who I am and how I drive. If you read what I said I'd have both parties into the police station to explain their actions and get to the bottom of the two sided story. Whats not to understand. The two drivers had an altercation, the focus driver slowed down, not an emergency stop but slowed down to near halt to irritate the dashcam driver for whatever had happened. I've seen all manner of behaviour in the hundreds of thousands of miles of driving I've done, then on top as a cyclist too. There are about 20 million drivers on our roads and all have human traits within them, from excessively angry individuals to ditzy head in the clouds facebook, satnav users. They're all likely to cause an accident at some point in their driving career.

If you also read I'd have the licence revoked of the focus driver, not for the first action but for the final one. The first action would be anger management and driving awareness plus some points. Education is often better than fines. But I also said if a record was existing in connection with that person then that would increase any chance to prosecute. But the second action is pure and simple criminal.

Beyond the standards of the focus driver..... and my poor standards too...... I've witnessed many occasions of so called professional police drivers( not panda cars but traffice officers ) performing manoevres on A-roads etc that any non-police drivers would have been booked for. They weren't driving under blues and twos either. I realised then that if high standards can't be upheld by those paid to do so, then what chance is there for the rest of us. I've also said in past discussions that we should all have free and easy access to continuing driving education, plus places for young people to share their love of cars in a safe, enjoyable way( disused airfields, circuits ) and increase penalties on the road across the board( black box monitoring of everyones driving ). We've all been young, well some of us have, and pushed our limits etc in cars.... and lost tempers too.

I'm sure you must meet those who went beyond their limits as they greet you at the pearly gates.

[pete75]

Revenge for what - something you've imagined

Yes we're all imagining a lot with respect to that footage. Like you have imagined who I am and how I drive. If you read what I said I'd have both parties into the police station to explain their actions and get to the bottom of the two sided story. Whats not to understand. The two drivers had an altercation, the focus driver slowed down, not an emergency stop but slowed down to near halt to irritate the dashcam driver for whatever had happened. I've seen all manner of behaviour in the hundreds of thousands of miles of driving I've done, then on top as a cyclist too. There are about 20 million drivers on our roads and all have human traits within them, from excessively angry individuals to ditzy head in the clouds facebook, satnav users. They're all likely to cause an accident at some point in their driving career.

You also said "Had the focus driver just stopped as they did, P*ssed the BMW driver off as a revenge for whatever happened then I'd say thats where it should have ended." which you imply would have been acceptable behaviour. It isn't and neither is driving behavior calculated to irritate other drivers. If you think it is then you need to examine your attitude towards your own driving.

[Lance Dopestrong]

What may or mat not have happened before is irrelevant, useful as neither defence or mitigation. This a deliberate, considered act, deliberately devised in advance, even if only 30 seconds beforehand. This was no spur of the moment, hot headed, out of character for my client type of rubbish - this is someone she knew what they wanted to do, shot up then road and turned around ahead of time to put them in position to do it, demonstrating planning and aforethought.

[Cunobelin]

An old story and a little incomplete

The problem is not a frivolous decision not to prosecute, but a limitation in the law that means it is not possible, as the CPS has pointed out:

"In this case, despite the presence of dashcam video, the specialist prosecutor who reviewed the case concluded that there was not sufficient evidence to establish who was driving the vehicle involved in this incident and the original decision not to prosecute was upheld."

As neither the video, nor the driver of the car that was rammed can identify the driver with sufficient certainty, their hands are tied

They have gone as far as they can, in that the registered keeper has been fined and 6 points on his licence for failing to disclose the driver