Cycling UK Forum

My moral is simple – don’t ever take retribution, take it to the police, particularly when you have been wronged and have a witness.

There are probably 30 million car drivers out there who take no consideration of cyclists. You can not 'teach them a lesson' individually.
In the unlikely event of getting to court you probably have to be squeaky clean yourself.

Well, the last time I went to court after an incident, albeit motorist versus motorist, the chap who the police prosecuted (or should I say Crown Prosecution Service on behalf of the police) received his due comeuppance. Yes, you do have to have reasonable grounds and the police will be a good judge of that. I agree that a private prosecution is more difficult and advice from CTC Legal might be prudent. However, if everyone decided to “teach them a lesson individually” then “30 million drivers” might start getting the message and give cyclists a little more respect. Alternatively, we can continue to turned a blind eye and adopt the attitude that it’s all pointless as the chips are stacked against us. What hope for cyclists then? Reporting it to the police is wholly appropriate as the driver acted in an appalling manner by firstly attempting to leave the scene of an accident and then using undue force in response to Alibev’s actions. Even if it doesn’t get to court, then perhaps the motorist will be visited by the police and given a caution: well worth it I say just in case he considers doing it again. On the other hand let’s form the ACTC where A stands for Apathetic.

meic wrote:There are probably 30 million car drivers out there who take no consideration of cyclists.

many of us here drive cars....so i would hope we are all considerate. i know i am.

my wife, mum & dad all cycle & drive, but never visit here. they are all considerate

i would estimate that
5% are utter KHs
45% are gormless, inept, stupid, shortsighted, senile, etc.

the other half are fairly good

I agree I confused 60 million people in UK with 60 million drivers. I would agree that a lot of drivers try their best but in my area cyclists are so rare they have forgotten about them.
The problem is that even with 1% of bad drivers you will meet an awfull lot in one day.

meic wrote:even with 1% of bad drivers you will meet an awfull lot in one day.

yes. my safety is compromise daily by one

& it only takes one KH to kill you.

I believe there are something like 4 million cars on British roads, it's quite a lot. And CTC has 10 thousand members! Remember Agincourt and Rorke's Drift - superior numbers don't always win!

Perhaps a case of attempted murder?

It would be nice to think that due process would take its proper course, the car driver would be prosecuted and given a just punishment, and the Court would praise you for taking action against him.

I deal with Courts every day. The decisions they make, as a lot of people here have said, can be - to say the least - illogical. Of course he assaulted you, and of course that's a criminal offence - and a serious one. But forget for a minute whether you did or didn't do anything wrong - just look at what would need to happen even if you had done everything right.

You need reliable witnesses who are prepared to give up their time to go to the police, make statements, wait for the police and Crown Prosecution to decide whether or not it's worth prosecuting, and if (more probably when) he pleads 'not guilty', to stand up in Court and give evidence, which many people are unwilling to do - it's a daunting prospect. You need clear evidence, either from photos or doctor's / hospital notes, or preferably both, that you were injured, and evidence as to what extent. Most people are too shocked at the time of an incident like this to give that a second's thought and good enough evidence is often just not there.

It's a long process, and can be a stressful one. I wish I had the confidence in the system to say that despite all the hassle it would work for you, but sadly I can't. It's a hard call - good luck.

Just take it as a lesson. My friend had a cyclist bang his mirror by mistake but looked at him and laughed rather then just say sorry.

Bit down the road was 'cyclist vs motorist'. Drove them straight off their bike in anger, didnt run though. Got year ban but nothing else. So i tend to just ignore poor driving as it may be someone with a temper like his behind the wheel.

But dont know how i would react in a incident when it was a hit and run attempt? Maybe a bit more damage to his car would make you feel better?

Which street and town did this accident happen in? What was the car's number plate. If you name him and shame him on here, then we will all be warned to be careful around him. I am hoping for you, as it isn't easy. If you don't prosecute, I really hoep he gets done for something else and locked up. Reading so many incidents of this has seriously tempted me to learn some witchcraft and cast some serious spells on dangerous drivers. In the last few days, there seem to have been a lot of asaults like this.
One of my freinds was injured in a minor car accident not their fault, no bikes involved (just one car). Another woman just looked down her nose at this freind, and her freind (not injured, but easily could have been-he'd popped out the car for a second). If I had been on that scene and noticed that woman, I would probably have asked her who she thought she was to look down her nose at them like that (after helping my freinds and if I had the opportunity of course). If her respinse had been rude, I wouldn't have been afraid to raise the voulme and/or use f's and b's. One thing I cannot stand is that kind of middle class arrogance, which is rife in Bath and parts of West Wilts. This somes after two random middle aged women making rude, stuck up comments to me while shopping in Bath in the last few months.
It is the same arrogance which is in a lot of car drivers, and if I was in a position oif authority, I would be dealing quite severely with it, making sure under 21's had their say, cyclists were treated much more fairly and quickly, same for pedestrians. I would also be harsh (plenty of ASBO's) for bystanders who refused to help a vulnerable citizen.
In a court case, I would be able to plead a disability, so would be able to get more ground, as I have a statement of special needs which says that I am more prone to anxiety and anger. I also have a clean criminal record, and have one or two toher factors in my favour.
Anyway, rant over, I've vented my anger about dangerous motorists which I've seen on here.