Incidents with a red Micra in Steventon

Home › Forums › Forums › Cycling Bits & Bobs › Incidents with a red Micra in Steventon

Viewing 12 reply threads
  • Author
    Posts
    • July 11, 2014 at 7:47 am #2215
      garyb
      Member

      Has anyone had any bad experiences with someone driving a red S reg micra (I have the full registration but will hold off putting it on here just yet) in the Steventon area? I’ve only cycled into work three times in the last eight days due to being away but on each occasion I’ve had a close encounter with the micra, each time at about 7.30AM. Last week on Thursday and Friday morning it overtook me extremely closely and then this morning as I was waiting in traffic it pulled up alongside me rather than waiting behind. When I realised it was the same car I knocked on the window to see if they even realised I was there and got a response along the lines of “I was trying to go around you you f**cking prat.” Given that the traffic in front was stationary this seems a bit of a stupid manoeuvre. I don’t think the driver was trying to drive in a malicious way, I suspect they just have no idea of the best way to go around cyclists.

      In my opinion this driver could be a danger to less experienced cyclists and I’m undecided what to do. Do I:

      1) Do nothing and accept some people are useless drivers.
      2) Put a polite note through their door as I know which road the car pulled out of and I can probably find their house.
      3) Report them to the police and hope they ask me if I want them to send someone around to have a word with the driver.

      Or is there another option?

    • July 11, 2014 at 7:59 am #2216
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      (2) would give personal satisfaction but up the ante with possibly unwanted results – but that’s up to you :). I think a conversation would be less likely to inflame long term than a note shoved through the door however
      (3) ?? Pulling alongside someone isn’t illegal (as being stupid isn’t) so why would the police be interested? – they might just regard you as a bit dense for not realising this and wasting their time!
      (1) is the normal response – I was carved up big time joining the M25 on Wednesday by a knob (well a knobette actually) in an open top BMW, which seemed to inflame my partner more than me.

      Just my thoughts…

    • July 11, 2014 at 8:20 am #2217
      garyb
      Member

      I think driving recklessly is illegal and my wife had a positive experience dealing with the police recently after she reported another driver and the police offered to go to the drivers house and “have a word”. My wife was in her car not on a bike though so the rules might be different.

      I wouldn’t normally even think of taking action but to have three incidents in three journeys with the same car seems a bit much given that I might normally have three incidents a year!

    • July 11, 2014 at 8:28 am #2218
      stevewest
      Member

      You should report this to the police; if they don’t know about it then they aren’t going to take any action, informal or otherwise.

    • July 11, 2014 at 8:29 am #2219
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      Fair enough but pulling alongside you isn’t actually reckless and the trouble with overtaking is that one persons “extremely close” is another’s “far enough” which doesn’t leave the boys in blue a lot to go on! Maybe there is a fourth way – you could take a leaf out of another poster’s book on here and get a helmet camera – with a nice video the police might sit up and take notice 🙂 In reality, I suspect the perpetrator is compensating for the emasculation he feels in having to drive a Micra….. (joke, Micra drivers!)

    • July 11, 2014 at 8:30 am #2220
      harry
      Member

      Hi Gary

      I’ve reported a driver once to Police using the onilne 101 form at http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/reptcr/reptcr-repform
      The link to the form is at the bottom. They added the car rego to the ANPR system and would stop the driver for a friendly chat if seen.

      However, perhaps I agree with Bob personally. Knocking on the car drivers door may or may not result in a happy outcome. If the driver is in the belief he is correct and has worried you on 3 occasions then I doubt he will see reason.

      Other option is to buy or loan a helmet cam.

    • July 11, 2014 at 8:32 am #2221
      LS
      Member

      I was once part of a group of cyclists which was overtaken recklessly by a car in Long Wittenham. One cyclist rang the police giving a description of the car and the direction it was going, and the police said they’d try to intercept it and have a word. I was very impressed with their reaction, so I’d also suggest that option 3) – call the police – is the best option. They have experience of making sure that things don’t get confrontational, and the driver will better realise the seriousness of their actions if the reprimand comes from the police.

    • July 11, 2014 at 1:14 pm #2223
      garyb
      Member

      I decided to report the incidents using the Thames Valley Police website above. It seems that a few people have had success with getting the police to help car drivers realise where they can improve their driving skills.

    • July 11, 2014 at 1:42 pm #2224
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      I just found this and thought it relevant to the discussion:
      http://totalwomenscycling.com/lifestyle/sexism-bike-readers-experience-30506/?utm_campaign=newsletter_20140711&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter_twc

    • July 14, 2014 at 7:29 am #2237
      garyb
      Member

      This is the response I got from the police. Sounds reasonable to me:

      The information you have provided about the vehicle you witnessed driving dangerously has been added to an observations list. This means if the vehicle is seen by Officers it will be pulled over and the driver given words advice about the conduct of their driving.

      Getting any conviction from the report you have made would be very difficult as the Crown Prosecution Service require certain criteria to be met for any conviction to be issued. The main thing missing in this instance is an independent witness (someone who witnessed the event in the same way you did, but is not connected to you or the offender in anyway). Without multiple independent witnesses the Crown Prosecution Service will not allow the case to go to court.

      Thames Valley Police does, however, understand the nature of your complaint and knows that the manner in which people drive must be dealt with if they are posing a risk to themselves and others, so you can be assured that the vehicle you have reported will be looked for.

    • July 17, 2014 at 7:23 am #2246
      garyb
      Member

      Four more journeys into work this week and three more occasions where the red micra has done something stupid/very stupid so I think it’s reasonable to point out that registration is S107JFC and the driver is quite a fat lady. Hopefully the police will have a word as I don’t think she even realises.

    • July 17, 2014 at 7:33 am #2247
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      haha, at least you (and now the others) had a quiet laugh at my “emasculated by having to drive a Micra” comment! – assumption, the mother of all cock-ups. Do you know where she is driving from/to? I’ll keep an eye out

    • July 17, 2014 at 7:39 am #2248
      garyb
      Member

      Sorry, Didcotbob! I didn’t mention it was a woman originally as at the time I didn’t want to identify her.

      I should have said that each time it has been on the B4017 going south. She came out of Lockway one morning so I assume that’s where she starts her journey.

  • Author
    Posts
Viewing 12 reply threads
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.