This is why (as a cyclist) I hate some drivers - VIDEO

[a11y_m]

CAUTION: video sound probably NSFW

http://youtu.be/x8g1iH7I5mc

(skip to 2m45s onwards)

This was my commute earlier this year. At the time I posted the video on YouTube but removed it within 24hrs as I suspected it was going to be used as evidence in the trial, but not before it go approx. 5,500 views. I even got contacted by researchers for programme that was shown on BBC1 last week (War on Britain’s Roads) but to be honest I’m glad I declined as (in my opinion) the programme did nothing positive for cyclists OR motorists.

It was supposed to go to court tomorrow, but I got a call today saying I was no longer required as a witness as the accused had changed his plea to GUILTY.

I’m not 100% sure what he’s pled guilty to (l await clarification from the Proc Fiscal) but earlier this year had been told by the Proc Fiscal that the charges were:
1) Failing to Stop at the scene of an accident;
2) Failing to report an accident; and
3) Dangerous Driving

No idea if this video was used as evidence or not as several witnesses in following vehicles provided statements, but I’m sure it won’t have had a negative impact on proceedings. It lends some credibility to my decision to continue wearing a helmet camera on my commutes into work…

Could've been a lot worse - no major injury to me, wish I could say the same for the bike:
- snapped mech hanger (luckily replaceable)
- badly scuffed and possibly bent rear mech
- torn saddle
- scraped barends
- scraped pedals
- hole in my jacket elbow
- dented/knackered helmet (although I don't remember hitting my head hard at all)

Arrived at work in the back of a police van to much hilarity among my colleagues.

Just need to sort our reimbursement of the damage to my bike/clothing/etc with his insurance company now…

[IroningMan]

Good grief.

[stoocake]

What an absolute tool. Hope he's punished accordingly

[Robb F]

It's nice to see a good amount of video before the accident too, to prove you did nothing wrong. Too many cyclist videos 'happen' to start as soon as the motorist does something wrong.

Do you have any indication why he did it? As far as I can see your only wrong doing was being on the road.

Hope the knob gets the book thrown at him.

[Fastpedeller]

Good if there is a conviction and subsequent penalties. I feel in cases like these there should be some means of prosecution for attempted GBH (the car swerve act) and Actual bodily harm/Assault for the fighting - After all this WASN'T an accident it was a deliberate act. I hate the way that all incidents seem to be wrapped up in the A word - It's an easy cop-out.

[itsnotarace]

Unreal! Hope he gets the book thrown at him

[Mr E]

Fastpedeller said:

Good if there is a conviction and subsequent penalties. I feel in cases like these there should be some means of prosecution for attempted GBH (the car swerve act) and Actual bodily harm/Assault for the fighting - After all this WASN'T an accident it was a deliberate act. I hate the way that all incidents seem to be wrapped up in the A word - It's an easy cop-out.

Assault would cover it quite nicely I think? I can't see how it can be anything else.

This has reminded me why I try not to shout at cars. You may well be right, but you're very vulnerable.
I'll admit I'd have found it very hard not to react if someone had cut me up like that though.


(as an aside, I have to cross a very busy roundabout on the way home, and most of the time I find the cars around me to be very accommodating indeed when I need to move out into traffic flow)

[Darkslider]

The only thing I can think you did 'wrong' in the Mondeo driver's eyes was have a good road position prior to the overtake. Not exactly a crime that is it? And obviously not holding anyone up as the blue Clio made a perfectly safe pass a few seconds before. Hope it goes well for you, bet you're glad you had the camera running that day!

[AyBee]

So he squeezed around you, pulled infront of you, then jammed on the brakes, then rammed you off when you had a go at him and fked off? What a nice chap! It's a good job it wasn't busier, would have been so easy for him to knock you into the path of a vehicle coming the other way, what a moron!

As a side note, what camera are you using please, the quality looks pretty decent.

[yellowjack]

Darkslider said:

The only thing I can think you did 'wrong' in the Mondeo driver's eyes was have a good road position prior to the overtake. Not exactly a crime that is it? And obviously not holding anyone up as the blue Clio made a perfectly safe pass a few seconds before. Hope it goes well for you, bet you're glad you had the camera running that day!

This!

How could anyone with any amount of sense not have seen the two long 'lifesavers' performed on the approach to the roundabout. Every time I see one of these from a fellow cyclist I'm primed for a change of position or direction from them, so I give them the space and time to set themselves up for their next manoeuvre.

It shocks and saddens me to witness the terrible attitude of some fellow drivers around cyclists. This morning was a case in point. Following a (well lit and competent) cyclist down Chapel Lane, Hawley, there are a number of traffic separation islands to prevent suicidal overtakes approaching the roundabout junction with Hawley Lane. I decide that there is absolutely no advantage to be gained in overtaking the cyclist, as there is a queue to turn right at the roundabout ahead, and cyclist is making good progress. Roaring down the road behind me, front fog lights blazing, comes a numpty in what appeared to be a Ford Focus. I'm not quite sure, as he got so tight up my chuff that I could no longer see his headlights in my mirrors. Bearing in mind the fact that it was dark and there was a hard frost, this was silly enough.

We turned onto Hawley Lane, still behind the cyclist, and still with 'foglight fkwit' closer to me than if I had been towing him. Almost immediately we stopped at the temporary lights where the M3 bridge is being strengthened, so the cyclist got a few cars further forward, to the front of the queue. I was irate at what I witnessed next.

The first car behind the bike overtook him like he didn't exist - simply roared away like a drag racer. The next car nearly clipped the bike as he too tried to follow the first. On realising he had no space to get past, he braked quite hard, causing the third car to brake to avoid a collision. Ironically, car number two then signalled for the right turn immediately after the roadworks. Car number three was forced to wait behind this car as the road was not wide enough to pass to his left. Car number three then accelerated aggressively to perform a risky overtake of the bike after another traffic island, and directly opposite of the left turn junction for Camberley Auto factors. This leaves me once again as the car immediately behind the cyclist. Up ahead I can see an oncoming articulated lorry turning right into the trading estate across 'my' lane, so go easy on the accelerator. At this point, donkey boy behind me is still too close to be safe, and edging out looking for an overtake that would never be on because of the unsighted right hand bend ahead.

As soon as I can see that there is a safe and sufficient space to complete, I signal clearly and pass the bike fully utilising the (now empty) oncoming lane, returning to 'my' side of the road in plenty of time to 'keep left' at the island prior to the next roundabout. Doughboy behind me has other ideas. Presumably blaming the very presence of a cyclist for any perceived delay in his journey, he makes no attempt to move out to the right at all, passing close to the cyclist between two islands exiting the second roundabout, and despite not having troubled himself to move out to the right, he feels a desperate need to cut over to his left before the second island (in similar fashion to the OP's video). The irony of all this aggression is that, at the big roundabout where Hawley Lane joins the A325, I pull up behind the very same cars as I was behind in the queue at the end of Chapel Lane, thereby proving conclusively that I have lost nothing at all in terms of journey time and road position, and that the muppet who has tailgated me the whole way has not been 'held up' by either me, or the cyclist in any way, shape, or form.

It's madness that, for some people at least, the fact that a little courtesy and consideration costs the sum total of nothing makes it too expensive for them to invest in a little of it.

I've little sympathy with many of the 'helmet cam warriors' who, despite being technically correct in their observations, never seem to recognise the fact that there is often much they can do to mitigate against the idiot drivers around them, but in this case, the OP has provided several minutes of footage leading up to the incident, in which he has demonstrated an apparent competency on a bicycle, and has shown good observation at vulnerable points, and generally good interaction with other road users. The only idiot who had a problem was the idiot in the Mondeo, who clearly hasn't read

Highway code Rule 167:

DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users. For example

approaching or at a road junction on either side of the road
where the road narrows
when approaching a school crossing patrol
between the kerb and a bus or tram when it is at a stop
where traffic is queuing at junctions or road works
when you would force another road user to swerve or slow down
at a level crossing
when a road user is indicating right, even if you believe the signal should have been cancelled. Do not take a risk; wait for the signal to be cancelled
stay behind if you are following a cyclist approaching a roundabout or junction, and you intend to turn left
when a tram is standing at a kerbside tram stop and there is no clearly marked passing lane for other traffic.

All the OP seemed to do wrong was to make his preparations for getting into the correct lane for the roundabout, safely, and in good time. Again, the glaring irony in the posted video is the fact that the bus ahead was perceptibly slowing for the roundabout, and even after his moronic attack on the cyclist, J 50 FED still has to wait behind the blue Clio before he can join the roundabout, conclusively proving that waiting to overtake would have cost him the sum total of nothing at all in terms of journey time and road position. I was a bit concerned over the 'throw the book at him' comments at first, but watching it back a few times has me agreeing with those comments. I favour a driving ban, seizing of his POS car, and what would probably hurt most, forfeiture of his sad, meaningless 'vanity' plate. wker!

[TKF]

Firstly, clearly the driver was in the wrong here. He's a dangerous idiot.

However that doesn't make your road positioning right. Why were you sat in the middle of the road for such long periods of time?

This is why (as a cyclist) I hate some cyclists. It deliberately antagonises other road users (as shown) and gives the rest of us a bad name.

Yet again someone showing the reason why they are called helmet cams.

[otolith]

First rule of cycling videos on PH - someone will pop up to say you brought it on yourself by not cycling in the gutter.

[GG89]

Wtf was that all about? what did he say to you out the window?

[a11y_m]

stoocake said:

What an absolute tool. Hope he's punished accordingly

itsnotarace said:

Unreal! Hope he gets the book thrown at him

If I'm able to find out I'll provide an update.

Robb F said:

Do you have any indication why he did it? As far as I can see your only wrong doing was being on the road.

Absolutely none. It's not a new route to me and I use it roughly the same time each day, but this was the first and only time I've encountered this numpty. The only reason I can think of is he just hates cyclists.

Darkslider said:

The only thing I can think you did 'wrong' in the Mondeo driver's eyes was have a good road position prior to the overtake. Not exactly a crime that is it? And obviously not holding anyone up as the blue Clio made a perfectly safe pass a few seconds before. Hope it goes well for you, bet you're glad you had the camera running that day!

yellowjack said:

All the OP seemed to do wrong was to make his preparations for getting into the correct lane for the roundabout, safely, and in good time.

Yup, no previous interaction with this driver whatsoever, it's the totally unprovoked nature of this that worried me most at the time.

Robb F said:

It's nice to see a good amount of video before the accident too, to prove you did nothing wrong. Too many cyclist videos 'happen' to start as soon as the motorist does something wrong.

yellowjack said:

in this case, the OP has provided several minutes of footage leading up to the incident, in which he has demonstrated an apparent competency on a bicycle, and has shown good observation at vulnerable points, and generally good interaction with other road users.

Don't worry, I'm not one of those warriors. However I can sympathise with those who record their journeys - it's just what they do with it afterwards that makes the difference. I'd like to point out I'm not always as quick on a bike as that

Mr E said:

This has reminded me why I try not to shout at cars. You may well be right, but you're very vulnerable. I'll admit I'd have found it very hard not to react if someone had cut me up like that though.

I know I shouldn't (because who knows what nutter there is inside the vehicle), and I really try not to, but sometimes the adrenaline kicks in before I can tame it

AyBee said:

So he squeezed around you, pulled infront of you, then jammed on the brakes, then rammed you off when you had a go at him and fked off? What a nice chap! It's a good job it wasn't busier, would have been so easy for him to knock you into the path of a vehicle coming the other way, what a moron!

As a side note, what camera are you using please, the quality looks pretty decent.

That's pretty much it! Camera is one of those generic, cheap micro DV cameras from ebay from under a tenner. It's good enough in daylight but tbh is pretty useless at this time of year when all my commutes are in darkness. I do have a GoPro HD2 for MTBing but don't use it for commuting as it's quite conspicuous - I don't want perceived as one of those folk!

yellowjack said:

How could anyone with any amount of sense not have seen the two long 'lifesavers' performed on the approach to the roundabout. Every time I see one of these from a fellow cyclist I'm primed for a change of position or direction from them, so I give them the space and time to set themselves up for their next manoeuvre.

I'm glad they were obviously picked up on the video. Basically I'd seen ahead that the traffic was queuing in the left-lane, and with me wanting the middle lane for going straight ahead I'd done the two checks over my shoulder in preparation of moving out. The Mondeo driver obviously didn't appreciate this fact...

[a11y_m]

TKF said:

Firstly, clearly the driver was in the wrong here. He's a dangerous idiot.

However that doesn't make your road positioning right. Why were you sat in the middle of the road for such long periods of time?

This is why (as a cyclist) I hate some cyclists. It deliberately antagonises other road users (as shown) and gives the rest of us a bad name.

Yet again someone showing the reason why they are called helmet cams.

I (obviously) disagree but you're welcome to your view. It's wrong though 'cos it doesn't agree with mine

In the minutes before the incident at no time do I feel I was riding too far out from the gutter. I don't think I move out too far in advance of the junction. I'm approaching a roundabout, downhill hence speed approaching 30mph. Traffic queuing ahead in left lane, I'm going straight ahead at roundabout (middle lane) hence I check over my shoulder twice before making any movement. It's clear so I move out.

[a11y_m]

otolith said:

First rule of cycling videos on PH - someone will pop up to say you brought it on yourself by not cycling in the gutter.

Quite.

[a11y_m]

GG89 said:

Wtf was that all about? what did he say to you out the window?

In all honesty I can't remember exactly what was said, but I learned a few more swear words (shocking even for me...). He didn't appear happy that I'd moved out then just simply turned his steering wheel to direct his car into me.

[IroningMan]

TKF said:

Firstly, clearly the driver was in the wrong here. He's a dangerous idiot.

However that doesn't make your road positioning right. Why were you sat in the middle of the road for such long periods of time?

This is why (as a cyclist) I hate some cyclists. It deliberately antagonises other road users (as shown) and gives the rest of us a bad name.

Yet again someone showing the reason why they are called helmet cams.

Do what?

OP's road positioning was spot on for the whole ride - smack bang in the left-hand tyre track unless he was preparing to take the right-hand lane: which he did at the second roundabout but was then clobbered for at the third one.

Plenty of vehicles passed him, and in some places did so without even crossing the central white line. He moved over to take the RH lane for the last roundabout at the right place given his speed.

[Mr Gear]

TKF said:

Firstly, clearly the driver was in the wrong here. He's a dangerous idiot.

However that doesn't make your road positioning right. Why were you sat in the middle of the road for such long periods of time?

This is why (as a cyclist) I hate some cyclists. It deliberately antagonises other road users (as shown) and gives the rest of us a bad name.

Yet again someone showing the reason why they are called helmet cams.

Sorry, you are wrong.

[blindswelledrat]

Why make this an anti-driver thread?
THat's the problem with you militant lesbionic cyclists.
You come across a complete lunatic who mows you down deliberately, but to you it's not about lunatics...no...it must be evil drivers.
As you well know that person has nothing to do with everyday drivers. It's like me saying that cyclists are all teh same as YOU. They aren't, thank god. The vast majority of them are normal humans