Road Rage Advice

[K80]

This may not be an appropriate web forum to seek advice but having waded through various Google searches, this seemed my best bet!
Please feel free to (gently) redirect me if you feel there is a more appropriate forum!

Anyway, bare bones are as follows:

Last Sunday morning I was driving through Edinburgh, approached a roundabout where I was turning left, this roundabout has a slip lane for left turning traffic. I followed along the slip, checking over my shoulder for traffic before continuing. There was several vehicles coming off the roundabout onto the duel carriageway so I accelerated and continued into the duel carriageway. Immediately a small recovery type lorry drove hard up behind me flashing and sounding his horn, obviously feeling I had pulled out in front of him.
Okay, so that's not so bad, we've all sounded our horn at other drivers I'm sure. However this guy decided to take it a tad further.
He pulled out into the fast lane, drove 3/4 the way past my car then swerved across into my car before driving off still in the fast lane. I managed to pull the car back into my lane without leaving the carriageway.
I followed the guy and my passenger took photos of his vehicle on her mobile.
He pulled back into the slow lane so we drew alongside and took photos of the company logo on the drivers door, then my passenger put her arm out her window guesturing for him to pull over. After about a mile he eventually pulled off the road into an industrial type of estate so we also pulled in.

I got out my car (as it turns out its lucky I choose to drive a big solid V70 lol) and observed that it had been crushed from just below the drivers door handle all the way to he front including the alloy wheel. My passenger had phoned the police by this time and had them on the line. The guy jumped out and subjected us both to a torrent of verbal abuse for several minutes before the police operator told us to get back in our car and await police attendance. At this point the other driver jumped back in his truck and drove off. The price arrived a few minutes later.
Okay so that's the story.
I'm looking for advice about several things.
Firstly, the police tell me my passenger doesn't count as a witness as she was in my vehicle and not independent. (Luckily a guy who witnessed the impact has since come forward and given a statement, although I'm not privy to his statement, only that it backs me up)
Secondly, the police found the guy stopped down the road a few minutes later, what happened at that time I do not know. However, I asked if he had been breathalised and was told that he showed no signs of alcohol so they are not obliged to breathalise a driver. Is this correct?
I've been told by a police officer that it is likely he will face a dangerous driving charge, which may be reduced to careless if he gets a good solicitor and pleads that he needs his license to remain in his job.
Surely this cannot be all the charges he will face for such an act?
Apart from the damage to my car I have been left with an aching body (which a hot bath helped lol) but worse I have gone from being a confident driver to one who drives under the speed limit and constantly hitting my brakes when I think a car is about to cut across etc, generally very nervous behind the wheel. And unfortunately my annual mileage is around 20,000 miles, I can't face that type of miles feeling a nervous wreck so I hope that time will help this.
I just can't believe that this nut case will keep his licence, next time he might hit someone in a micra not a Volvo.

[DoubleSix]

Sounds nasty but you're bloody stupid to find yourself on an industrial estate with someone who has displayed such obvious disregard for your safety - people get stabbed etc everyday.

Please tell me your passenger wasn't female.

[Sargeant Orange]

I'm not sure what other charges you think he should be facing?

Police reaction seems appropriate to me. The nervousness you're experiencing is normal following a knock, it'll pass

[Hackney]

If its any help I was told by a Scottish solicitor that needing a licence for your job would not prevent a ban. His words were, only if you're the only family member of a sick granny who you have to take to hospital 50 miles away every day would you avoid a ban.

[K80]

Err, actually we are both female, it's a busy estate though as it goes down to the airport car park with a constant flow of traffic, but point taken, and your not the first to make that comment

[HertsBiker]

Don't know if it helps, but I'd have accelerated more and got the hell out of his way. Glad you are okay though, be careful out there!

[Hackney]

DoubleSix said:

Sounds nasty but you're bloody stupid to find yourself on an industrial estate with someone who has displayed such obvious disregard for your safety - people get stabbed etc everyday.

Please tell me your passenger wasn't female.

He said "her arm" so presumably.....

And unless people do this kind of thing from time to time then this idiot and people like him will continue to drive like lunatics and threaten innocent drivers. Imagine if this guy wasn't collared and next week did something similar to your wife / GF / daughter, how would you feel if you'd been given the chance to get him off the road but didn't take it?

[C900]

If there's a chance that CCTV might have caught the collision, in your shoes I'd go about making sure that its used, either by asking the police to look into it, or by instructing a solicitor to arrange for that to happen.

Horrible thing to happen

[DoubleSix]

K80 said:

Err, actually we are both female, it's a busy estate though as it goes down to the airport car park with a constant flow of traffic, but point taken, and your not the first to make that comment

Well, I am not wishing to seem unsympathetic to what must of been a nasty experience but you sound naive to both the law and the realities of the UK in 2013.

Hope you recover your confidence soon.

[deltashad]

He's an absolute nutter.

Leave this in the hands of your insurance company and try to forget the incident.

Maybe he will learn his lesson, maybe not. There are always going to be people like this around it's just unfortunate you came across one.

[s3fella]

Well it's dangerous driving, from what you describe. To deliberately steer a vehicle into another is dangerous, not careless.

[K80]

I have enquired about CCTV but there isn't any in that road.
As for other charges, I'm not sure, that's why I was asking. But other things that come to mind are, failing to stop and give details, or leaving the scene without doing so. Also some type of breach of peace, if he had spoken to a police officer they way he verbally assaulted us he would have been arrested on the spot. Bear in mind that even if it's correct my passenger doesn't count as a witness then surely the phone call to the police will bear evidence to this as he was LOUD.

[deltashad]

K80 said:

But other things that come to mind are, failing to stop and give details, or leaving the scene without doing so.

The police won't be interested in this. The insurance company may.

They will be interested and take the road rage seriously, although without solid evidence it will be hard for them to prosecute. He will lie and tell the story to favour himself. Good luck but don't get your hopes up too high.

Personally I would be happy to have the car repaired and be able to walk away feeling the better person. If you chase it too much it will drain and disappoint you. Speaking from experience...................... apart from the road rage aspect.