Police interest in dangerous driving caught on dash cam..?
Discussion
I currently have the "pleasure" of driving a particularly unfashionable vehicle that looks like it should be the exclusive preserve of the over-60s straw hat brigade (granted the National Trust sticker doesn't help).
I get the distinct impression that due to the image the car portrays, people assume that a) the car won't be driven quickly and b) the driver will be an old, passive duffer who'll soak up all manner of abuse. Consequently in this car I seem to have been on the receiving end of some of the worst driving I've encountered in the 15+yrs I've held my license.
The favourite appears to be people pulling out infront of me from slower lanes on motorways while I'm steadily passing them on their RHS. Often I'll be doing 70+, 10-15mph more than the dangerously-bunched up cars in the lane to my left, before one signals and blindly pulls out (often literally feet from my front bumper) requiring swift application of the brakes (and the horn).
My natural reaction to this is to close the distance between my vehicle and that in front, however this makes me uncomfortable for obvious reasons and the smaller gap still doesn't seem to deter the idiots.
I'm absolutely sick of being subjected to this selfish, dangerous behaviour and would love to see those responsible held to account - both out of legitimate concern for road safety as well as to satisfy my own petty sense of justice.
For this reason (and should such driving cause my involvement in an accident) I'm considering getting a dash cam.
My question is, were I to send evidence of such poor driving (that didn't result in an RTA) to the police, are they likely to show any interest? Would I just be better off posting it on Youtube for my own satisfaction? Am I being petty and reactionary by even considering doing either?
I still remember the guidance of my old driving instructor in such situations - brake / ease off to maintain your distance and keep calm. Of course if I followed this advice to the letter I suspect I'd end up going slower than everything in the lanes on my LHS..
I get the distinct impression that due to the image the car portrays, people assume that a) the car won't be driven quickly and b) the driver will be an old, passive duffer who'll soak up all manner of abuse. Consequently in this car I seem to have been on the receiving end of some of the worst driving I've encountered in the 15+yrs I've held my license.
The favourite appears to be people pulling out infront of me from slower lanes on motorways while I'm steadily passing them on their RHS. Often I'll be doing 70+, 10-15mph more than the dangerously-bunched up cars in the lane to my left, before one signals and blindly pulls out (often literally feet from my front bumper) requiring swift application of the brakes (and the horn).
My natural reaction to this is to close the distance between my vehicle and that in front, however this makes me uncomfortable for obvious reasons and the smaller gap still doesn't seem to deter the idiots.
I'm absolutely sick of being subjected to this selfish, dangerous behaviour and would love to see those responsible held to account - both out of legitimate concern for road safety as well as to satisfy my own petty sense of justice.
For this reason (and should such driving cause my involvement in an accident) I'm considering getting a dash cam.
My question is, were I to send evidence of such poor driving (that didn't result in an RTA) to the police, are they likely to show any interest? Would I just be better off posting it on Youtube for my own satisfaction? Am I being petty and reactionary by even considering doing either?
I still remember the guidance of my old driving instructor in such situations - brake / ease off to maintain your distance and keep calm. Of course if I followed this advice to the letter I suspect I'd end up going slower than everything in the lanes on my LHS..
Edited by Republik1980 on Sunday 30th August 15:05
Edited by Republik1980 on Sunday 30th August 16:17
Best avoided than recorded IMO.
Get rid of that car and get something that looks a bit faster and with more road presence.
What you describe is why "Q cars" or "sleepers" are rubbish and why it's not good to be considered normal on the road.
People don't like you when you have an intimidating car, but they don't pull out in front of you so much either. Personally I'm happy for them to not like me so long as they grumble behind me and not slowly in front.
Get rid of that car and get something that looks a bit faster and with more road presence.
What you describe is why "Q cars" or "sleepers" are rubbish and why it's not good to be considered normal on the road.
People don't like you when you have an intimidating car, but they don't pull out in front of you so much either. Personally I'm happy for them to not like me so long as they grumble behind me and not slowly in front.
Thanks both for your input 
Jamie, I agree to a point (I hate the surveillance state we live in) however pettyness aside I really want to cover myself in the event of an incident.
This is the first proper "grandad spec" car I've really driven and I'm shocked by how much contempt it courts on the road - a bit of an eye-opener for me and a real shame as I've always liked sleepers
I see your reasoning in buying something more aggressive; however for various reasons I don't really want to change the car - especially if the sole reason is to avoid other people's stupidity and selfishness.
Dinoboy - not sure tbh; although I doubt I could afford one anyway! Perhaps I should just lash some little blue flashing lights behind the grill
(j/k, before anyone starts)
In the meantime I've been reading through the various dashcam threads on here and am now braced for a flaming bun fight; assuming anyone else can be arsed to reply!
Jamie, I agree to a point (I hate the surveillance state we live in) however pettyness aside I really want to cover myself in the event of an incident.
This is the first proper "grandad spec" car I've really driven and I'm shocked by how much contempt it courts on the road - a bit of an eye-opener for me and a real shame as I've always liked sleepers
I see your reasoning in buying something more aggressive; however for various reasons I don't really want to change the car - especially if the sole reason is to avoid other people's stupidity and selfishness.
Dinoboy - not sure tbh; although I doubt I could afford one anyway! Perhaps I should just lash some little blue flashing lights behind the grill
(j/k, before anyone starts)In the meantime I've been reading through the various dashcam threads on here and am now braced for a flaming bun fight; assuming anyone else can be arsed to reply!
Edited by Republik1980 on Sunday 30th August 15:16
It's just driving. It happens all the time, to pretty much everyone. Other drivers are a
holes and there's nothing you can do about it. IMO you'd be better off saving your money and just getting on with your life. If you want a dashcam in case there's disputed liability in an insurance claim then go for it but becoming a part-time manners enforcement officer won't get you anywhere 
holes and there's nothing you can do about it. IMO you'd be better off saving your money and just getting on with your life. If you want a dashcam in case there's disputed liability in an insurance claim then go for it but becoming a part-time manners enforcement officer won't get you anywhere Don't buy a bmw 330i touring then as you will have every tailgater opportunist overtaker white van man and late for a pick up taxi driver trying to get past you,hell even 80 year old Yaris drivers want to push you off the road,
it's such a joke that I got bored of re watching the footage from my 2 dash cams, having tinted windows on the back is probably half the reason I reckon, well other than it being a bmw still they can't see the camera so when they do fook up involving me then I will have the last laugh
it's such a joke that I got bored of re watching the footage from my 2 dash cams, having tinted windows on the back is probably half the reason I reckon, well other than it being a bmw still they can't see the camera so when they do fook up involving me then I will have the last laugh
Republik1980 said:
Often I'll be doing 70+, 10-15mph more than the dangerously-bunched up cars in the lane to my left, before one signals and blindly pulls out (often literally feet from my front bumper) requiring swift application of the brakes (and the horn).
My natural reaction to this is to close the distance between my vehicle and that in front, however this makes me uncomfortable for obvious reasons and the smaller gap still doesn't seem to deter the idiots.
I think you're taking this too personally. If people pull out in front of you more in this car, then it's not because they hold you in contempt, it's because they genuinely aren't aware that you are about to pass them.My natural reaction to this is to close the distance between my vehicle and that in front, however this makes me uncomfortable for obvious reasons and the smaller gap still doesn't seem to deter the idiots.
If you frame the problem as incompetence rather than disrespect, it's less stressful and easier to address.
My suggestion would be lights. A car coming up behind with lights on is a) more visible and b) appears to be approaching faster. I would genuinely get in the habit of using dipped headlights on all dual carriageways and motorways 24/7 - lots of newer cars have DRLs anyway so there's nothing wrong with doing so, and I reckon it'll help you with this issue.
Republik1980 said:
I currently have the "pleasure" of driving a particularly unfashionable vehicle that looks like it should be the exclusive preserve of the over-60s straw hat brigade (granted the National Trust sticker doesn't help).
I get the distinct impression that due to the image the car portrays, people assume that a) the car won't be driven quickly and b) the driver will be an old, passive duffer who'll soak up all manner of abuse. Consequently in this car I seem to have been on the receiving end of some of the worst driving I've encountered in the 15+yrs I've held my license.
No. It's because you can't spell licence...I get the distinct impression that due to the image the car portrays, people assume that a) the car won't be driven quickly and b) the driver will be an old, passive duffer who'll soak up all manner of abuse. Consequently in this car I seem to have been on the receiving end of some of the worst driving I've encountered in the 15+yrs I've held my license.
Republik1980 said:
Often I'll be doing 70+, 10-15mph more than the dangerously-bunched up cars in the lane to my left, before one signals and blindly pulls out (often literally feet from my front bumper) requiring swift application of the brakes (and the horn).
Work on your defensive driving - if they're dangerously bunched up then the next thing that's going to happen is that one of them will pull out. 
samoht said:
My suggestion would be lights. A car coming up behind with lights on is a) more visible and b) appears to be approaching faster. I would genuinely get in the habit of using dipped headlights on all dual carriageways and motorways 24/7 - lots of newer cars have DRLs anyway so there's nothing wrong with doing so, and I reckon it'll help you with this issue.
This. I've long had the habit of switching my dipped lights on automatically as soon as I start the engine, even in my Celica which isn't a subtle car as it is. Incidences of people pulling out blindly in front of me dropped to almost nil since I started doing so.I would have thought that these days the police would be inundated with hours of dashcam and cycle cam footage of complete non events from people who fancy themselves as traffic police with power over others. Anything genuinely bad would be lost amongst it and not acted upon unless it went viral on the Internet.
I do agree that, however you drive, people do make judgments when they see your car on the road. I had a Toyota Auris courtesy car for a few days and I've never had so many people tailgate me and take risks to try and get past me, including one numpty in a local farm shop van who went up my inside at the exit of a restaurant car park and turned right in front of me because he decided he wasn't prepared to wait for the person he assumed to be an old duffer to pull out.
I do agree that, however you drive, people do make judgments when they see your car on the road. I had a Toyota Auris courtesy car for a few days and I've never had so many people tailgate me and take risks to try and get past me, including one numpty in a local farm shop van who went up my inside at the exit of a restaurant car park and turned right in front of me because he decided he wasn't prepared to wait for the person he assumed to be an old duffer to pull out.
Well today in a 30mph zone through a country village tosser in a clapped out Black Corsa 52/53 reg just starts overtaking everyone and swerving all over the show.
I was in mind to give chase but quickly changed my mind to let the idiot go. Anyway a short but of full on blind bends before a T junction I discovered he had overtaken another car on that stretch.... Then as cars waiting to pull out onto the main road A4074 near CaneEnd (that area/stretch of road has the nick name 13 bends of death ... Guess why lethal for accidents) he was so impatient he drove his car up I've the kerb and drove all 4 wheel on the grass verge to turn left .... If add the sole car in front of him simply couldn't have turned out any quicker than he did due to traffic.
So Black Corsa 52/53 reg tinted windows /front windows wide open with music at distortion playing if you carry on driving like that I hope the police bail you before someone has an accident.
I was in mind to give chase but quickly changed my mind to let the idiot go. Anyway a short but of full on blind bends before a T junction I discovered he had overtaken another car on that stretch.... Then as cars waiting to pull out onto the main road A4074 near CaneEnd (that area/stretch of road has the nick name 13 bends of death ... Guess why lethal for accidents) he was so impatient he drove his car up I've the kerb and drove all 4 wheel on the grass verge to turn left .... If add the sole car in front of him simply couldn't have turned out any quicker than he did due to traffic.
So Black Corsa 52/53 reg tinted windows /front windows wide open with music at distortion playing if you carry on driving like that I hope the police bail you before someone has an accident.
standardman said:
"while I'm steadily passing them on their RHS"
Sounds like you arr either a middle lane hogger or driving at such a slow speed differential to the inside lane you are sitting in their blind spot too long.
Make your overtake and move back in.
Yeah, get on with it, as my old ADI used to saySounds like you arr either a middle lane hogger or driving at such a slow speed differential to the inside lane you are sitting in their blind spot too long.
Make your overtake and move back in.
Will police be that interested in any dashcam footage?
There was a thread in PH with some footage 335d or something near Manchester/M6 way and the police weren't interested when shown it.
I don't think it's you, your hat or your car I think it's just the way it is on the roads today.
With regard to going past people on their OS on M-ways I think it's better to get the pass over and done with. I dislike people taking an age to pass me and seeming to linger in the 3/4 rear blindspot. It's most annoying when their progress is that slow that they box you into the NS lane and you're forced to ease off and sometimes brake because of stuff ahead in the lane in front.
I think it may have been a DHL van that actually moved to the outer of three lanes to ensure it didn't block me into the NS lane on an 3 lane A-road recently. I thought it's going to box me into the NS lane when I want to move out to pass this truck ahead in my lane, but then the van closing on me moved over a lane leaving the middle lane free for me to move into and pass the truck in the NS lane.
People pulling out in front of you at junctions is something most of us have had.
Someone did it to me on a motorcycle once with my headlight on. Rather than back off, I kept going passing them on their OS that was rather stupid as I think my OS footrest was over the kerbing for a traffic island in the main, through road by that junction.
It would have been better to have eased off the throttle rather than think that I'd been disrespected or they'd pinched my piece of road by pulling out in front of me. I'm pretty sure there nothing behind me when they pulled out so they could have just have easily waited a bit and pulled out once I'd passed.
A police officer once said to me, people will do bad and silly things on the road and the best thing to do is let it wash over you, concentrate on your own driving and do not escalate matters or get involved in their accident.
I used to routinely see an elderly gent in a straw hat driving an Alfa 166. I can't say his driving ever caused me any concern.
There was a thread in PH with some footage 335d or something near Manchester/M6 way and the police weren't interested when shown it.
I don't think it's you, your hat or your car I think it's just the way it is on the roads today.
With regard to going past people on their OS on M-ways I think it's better to get the pass over and done with. I dislike people taking an age to pass me and seeming to linger in the 3/4 rear blindspot. It's most annoying when their progress is that slow that they box you into the NS lane and you're forced to ease off and sometimes brake because of stuff ahead in the lane in front.
I think it may have been a DHL van that actually moved to the outer of three lanes to ensure it didn't block me into the NS lane on an 3 lane A-road recently. I thought it's going to box me into the NS lane when I want to move out to pass this truck ahead in my lane, but then the van closing on me moved over a lane leaving the middle lane free for me to move into and pass the truck in the NS lane.
People pulling out in front of you at junctions is something most of us have had.
Someone did it to me on a motorcycle once with my headlight on. Rather than back off, I kept going passing them on their OS that was rather stupid as I think my OS footrest was over the kerbing for a traffic island in the main, through road by that junction.
It would have been better to have eased off the throttle rather than think that I'd been disrespected or they'd pinched my piece of road by pulling out in front of me. I'm pretty sure there nothing behind me when they pulled out so they could have just have easily waited a bit and pulled out once I'd passed.
A police officer once said to me, people will do bad and silly things on the road and the best thing to do is let it wash over you, concentrate on your own driving and do not escalate matters or get involved in their accident.
I used to routinely see an elderly gent in a straw hat driving an Alfa 166. I can't say his driving ever caused me any concern.
Edited by carinaman on Monday 31st August 07:08
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