Chris516

Yesterday, I went to a local local location of PERFORMANCE. I had a question regarding my new Garmin 500 w/ HRM + Cadence(Christmas present). As I was making a left turn into the shopping mall where the bike shop is located, a 25-ton truck that was behind me in the single left-turn lane, pulled into the inside through lane and made started to make his left turn from the through lane, coming very close to hitting me.

So I manage to catch the name of the company, company website, the number on the trailer, and the number on the tractor. I contacted the company at their website. I got a quick response from the company, that they were going to look into it. The person who replied, was a company vice president and had his phone number in the reply. So I called him. He wondered why I didn't call the police. I told him about the local police taking a 'we have to see it, to believe it', kind of attitude. The same kind of attitude I get from local police.

no motor?

I didn't have any luck when a school bus driver pulled out in front of me because I didn't have the exact location of the incident - having the time and bus number wasn't enough for them. I think getting a video and posting it to youtube before you call them is the only way you're going to get any response from the companies that don't sell consumer products and just don't care.

howsteepisit

I am missing something here. You Contact the company and they reply via email they are looking into it. So you then call the company and in the conversation they asked why you did not call the police. You take this as an indication the company will not do anything. They company has not had a chance to do anything yet, so you conclude they are not going to do anything right? Further, due to the threat of lawsuits, even if the driver is disciplined, they company will not likely tell you anything, as disciplinary actions are normally kept private ( you you like to be disciplined in front of your co-workers?).

What exactly did you expect to be the outcome of your two complaints? Public flogging? Immediate firing of the offending driver?

Not that I particularly believe any of the report bad driving lines are anything but a way to placate the public, but I see no basis for your conclusion of a non-caring attitude. or in other words you have no idea of what went on at the carrier after your repetitive complaint.

Chicago Al 

It's a three-fer: complain to the company via email, complain to the vice-president of the company about the police, and complain here about both.

I-Like-To-Bike

Is it my imagination or do some A&S posters have one heck of a lot of negative interactions with traffic and seem to be constantly beefing about everybody else's behavior? Must be difficult to be a perfect citizen among so much driving and cycling incompetence as well as indifference to reports of this intolerable situation.

FBinNY 

+1, Rude and inconsiderate driving is a fact of life. Maybe I'm jaded, or simply used to it living here in the NYC metro area, but While I see lots of rude driving, I don't see as much of what I'd call dangerous driving. IMO bicycling (and driving) isn't like playing horse shoes, and there's no score for misses or even close calls.

My standard for the difference between rude and dangerous driving is based on whether evasive action on my part was required to avoid a collision. If not, just another a-hole, if yes then a real potential accident.

BTW- while companies generally don't take what most people would call action in response to complaints about drivers, they do record them. If drivers get above a target number of complaints then they elevate it to something serious.

rebel1916

Are you complaining about how they are too responsive? Because they sound amazingly solicitous to mee.

Looigi

Having driven trucks and big-rigs in the past, I've often come close to and not hit things. I always figured this was evidence of my skill and judgment.

dougmc

The response you get from a company will depend entirely on the company. Some will take even a single report extremely seriously, and some will blow off any number of reports, especially if the company is small and the person you contact happens to be the driver in question himself.

That said, any actual collision that they are found at fault at or are ticketed for can be very expensive for them, either directly or through their insurance, so they generally care a lot when given evidence that their drivers are not driving safely. The quality and quantity of the evidence does matter, of course -- they don't want to sack thei drivers just because somebody said they drove poorly, but if there's a pattern of this or good evidence, they just might.

The rules they have to follow are a lot more lax than what the police have to follow as well. They might have to contend with a union that doesn't want them firing their members, but if they have good evidence that this person is a menace on the road, especially video evidence, they're likely to do so -- they can't afford to wait until somebody gets really hurt and it's their fault.

Keith99

Not your imagination, much as I'd like to jerk your chain by saying it is. Generally a pretty good correlation to people who are rude here.

Chitown_Mike

Wait, I am not supposed to go hunting in traffic for drivers not paying attention already so I can claim their ignorance is because they are fat, mouth-breathing cagers when they come within the 3 foot green zone? What is the point of A&S then!?

I must try harder then....

howsteepisit

But in all honesty, I was waiting for a bus today, and was standing where cars passed within 3 feet, and I gotta say that's too darn close. a car going 30 mph passing by me at about 3' was scary. I think maybe I need to complain more.

I-Like-To-Bike

Perhaps you can arm yourself with a multi-camera setup, all the better to bag the motorized varmints; maybe even turn the edited videos in to YouTube spectacles. Perhaps even earn a bounty, or at least high praise from other cycling freedom fighters.

howsteepisit

I give it 3 more posts before its closed

howsteepisit

Better put some 1,000,000 CP lights on there to light up the offending cagers, and to be sure to get sufficient exposure to ID the bast***ds.

GP

I'll look into a complaint but even if its valid I won't call the complaintant and tell them. Personnel actions are confidential.

GP

I almost got right hooked by an SUV on Christmas. It had a "People for Bikes" bumper sticker. I was laughing too hard to get pissed.

rebel1916

Hold on, let me play. I was riding along as I usually do, taking the lane (that's the left lane on a 4 lane highway) as is my right as a cyclist and a taxpayer. Traffic had been building up behind me for several miles but I never move over to allow faster traffic to pass, as I find this both encourages them, and violates my rights as a cyclist and taxpayer. Suddenly, a ruffian pulled out to pass me, on the wrong side of the double yellow, with his horn blaring. I was shocked, as you can imagine, by his lack of respect for me as a cyclist, taxpayer, and fellow road user. What an impatient fellow, not to wait for me for the next 7 miles until I turned off. Fortunately, I was recording in HD on all sides (I have 4 cameras running at all times, it's a small price to pay to be snitchy). I was able to get his license plate and video evidence of his perfidious disdain for the law. When I brought it to my local PD, the rolled their eyes, as usual, but promised to diligently investigate the matter. VEHICULAR CYCLING RULES SUCKAZ!!!!!

howsteepisit

rebel, if ya had a few more lights on the front, back and side I am certain that the motorist would have treated you as an equal, so you see , its your fault!

I-Like-To-Bike

Let us advocate that all motorists have a sign indicating their place of employment so we can get fired any that cross our path (or in front of our Big Brother Cameras). Just to show we can be even handed, let's support illuminated day glow license plates for all cyclists so we, and all motorists, call in to Johnny Law all the reckless b-tards on their big box bikes that we see who are not shining examples of cycling rectitude like ourselves. That'll teach everybody the power of Real Bicycling Advocacy.

howsteepisit

I don't think I like having rectitude, sounds so anal. Isn't Real Bicycling Advocacy copyrighted by someone(s) here in the A&S forum? Quit breaking the rules.

Jamesw2

I was crowded next to a guard rail by a steel hauling truck and called the company an hour later they called me back . . I had the belief that the driver was sitting in the room when they called (on speaker phone) They too it seriously . . The driver also cut in front of oncoming traffic

SmallFront

I resent that remark. I am rarely in any sort of incident with other road users!

Wanderer

It's been my experience that any company takes driving their vehicles very seriously. Many people have lost their job, on the back of one complaint by another road user. Two or three, and it's almost guaranteed!

Fargo Wolf

It's all going to depend on the company. Some do actually hold their drivers to account, while some are like "I'm sorry to hear that. What the hell am I supposed to do about it? Maybe you shouldn't have been riding there, but rather driving."