Advocacy & Safety - I got bumped today..

I was on my way to work this morning, and this guy, (who I see everyday on this stretch of road ) tries to pass me while another car was in the oncoming lane.

The other car was actually there first, but this guy, in a blue 600 series BMW tries to pass between us. He hit my left hand with the side mirror knocking away from the handlebar...I damn near fell and busted my a$$! So I yelled, Hey! Hey! and he floored it.

By that time we were in a downhill, so I hammered trying to catch up to him around a curve at the stop sign...He saw me coming, and hauled ass.

No. I didn't get his tag, he was moving too fast for me to get a good glimpse of it once I recovered from nearly falling.

2 things I know for sure, he probably has a scratch on his passenger side mirror, because he hit the clasp on my watch..I did look to see if he had left any paint on my watch but there was none. I bet there is a scratch though. He hit me hard enough to leave one, and he knew he hit me because as soon as I started hollering, he sped off. I could hear him hit the throttle.

What an idiot. I see this guy everyday. I would like to get his tag and report him to the police. But I bet it will be my word against his.

What can we do about people like this? Should I report him?

Yes, report him. Even if they don't do anything in your particular case as we have seen with that "good" doctor out in LA it can help to build a strong case down the road if he does it to other cyclists.

I would file a hit and run report on him in a heartbeat, a paper trail does many things.

2 things I know for sure, he probably has a scratch on his passenger side mirror, because he hit the clasp on my watch.

I don't know about Georgia, but here, if there's a red mark on your wrist from the watch, he fled the scene of an injury accident. Any injury, no matter how slight, makes our locals take things a lot more seriously.

I would file a hit and run report on him in a heartbeat, a paper trail does many things.
+1

if you don't file a report, there's a 100% chance that he'll get away with it. worse, he'll think it's acceptable.

Everyone advising you to file a report is right for all the reasons stated, and more.

Also, at time of filing let the cops know you see him regularly and then get back to them with the tag next time you see him.

On your testimony alone it is likely to bring a conviction. And he's toast if his mirror is scratched or has been repainted/replaced as there will be physical evidence or a paper trail supporting your story. In a pedestrian incident I even had a police officer testify for the defendant and my testimony won the day because it seemed more plausible to the Judge.

Yes, report. And then watch for his plates over the coming weeks and ask to supplement the report with new info when you see him again.

The cops are extremely unlikely to actually cite or prosecute the guy, but as others said, it well help build a paper trail against the guy. And at the very least, the police will track him down and confront him about the allegations, which is likely to shake him up on its own even if nothing comes of it.

Absolutely report the incident.

Furthermore, some states have an aggressive driver reporting procedure direct to your state's department of motor vehicles (Registry of MV, DMV, whatever it is called where you come from). You can file a complaint with them as a civilian, and request a hearing. There are remedies available that can impact the driver's license, insurance, and points, if the hearing officer makes an adverse finding to the driver/operator. But you have to be able to identify the driver and not just the tags. At the very least, it creates an incident report, that can be acted upon if in the future someone else reports a similar matter.

zac

Yes, report this ASAP! Let us know how it goes. That was too close not to take it 100% seriously.

I was on my way to work this morning, and this guy, (who I see everyday on this stretch of road ) tries to pass me while another car was in the oncoming lane.

The other car was actually there first, but this guy, in a blue 600 series BMW tries to pass between us.

It sounds like he travels the same route. He may switch up and avoid it for a while but I suspect he may return. Bring your camera and have it ready. This was pure stupidity. All he had to do was to stop and make sure you were ok. Now if you report this and show some sort of injury it may be considered as a felony hit and run. Keep us posted. Be safe.

I just can't imagine why you have to ask to report a hit and run. Would you not if someone had sideswiped your car and taken off? I just don't understand why any cyclist would have to think at all about reporting an assault like this.

I'd also go talk to the prosecuter with jurisdiction.

On your testimony alone it is likely to bring a conviction.

This was the first thing I was thinking of BUT, that your testimony alone will be downplayed by the police and, they will think that if you didn't end up in the hospital as a result, the driver is not worth pursuing.


He's toast if his mirror is scratched or has been repainted/replaced as there will be physical evidence or a paper trail supporting your story. In a pedestrian incident I even had a police officer testify for the defendant and my testimony won the day because it seemed more plausible to the Judge.

While I agree with the paper trail aspect, unless things go to the point of a criminal court case and the employees' of the autobody detail shop are called to testify that the driver tried to have the car repainted, the DA or ADA is not going to even bother with taking it to trial.

I hope I am completely wrong.

A squeaky wheel gets more grease.

Hi everyone,

Well I have been waiting for this guy to drive by again. I haven't seen him yet!

I think he knows that he bumped me and probably is laying low until he feels it has blown over.

I would like to get a tag, but something tells me he's taking another route. No kidding, I used to see him everyday. Now he's vanished.

That's okay, I intend to report it anyway. I know what color/make/model his car is and I actually think I can give a pretty good description of the driver too.

Have you thought about possible origin or destination based on the number of different locations you have seen him, but also where you didn't?

That's okay, I intend to report it anyway. I know what color/make/model his car is and I actually think I can give a pretty good description of the driver too.
"No! Try Not -- Do, or Do Not; There is no Try." - Yoda, The Empire Strikes Back

don't wait. you only have a limited time to file a complaint, and the police have a limited time to file charges.

here in NZ it's seven days to complain but (i think) six months to file charges. IIRC, NJ only has two weeks to file charges for motor vehicle offenses. you can amend the complaint at a later date if more information becomes available, or the cops may even know who you're complaining about (which could be good or bad).

if/when the police talk to the guy, they'll want to know why he's been avoiding that road, and why it coincides with a collision that he'll probably deny knowing about... and if he acknowledges the collision (unlikely, but it could happen) then they'll want to know a) why did he leave the scene and b) why did he not report to the police that his car struck someone on a bike.

there are cases were someone could have a legitimate reason for leaving the scene, and that's OK if it's reported promptly.

whatever happens, it all starts with a formal complaint. get it done.

complain.. and let us know what happens. no way should you ever think about not reporting someone like this

I had a problem driver harassing me on a pretty regular basis on the commute. After the police got in contact with her and lectured her about my rights as a cyclist, she promised never to take that route again. After a few months, I started seeing her again (but, thankfully, she's been on her best behavior ever since).

Give him some time. He'll come out of the woodwork.

And by "give him some time," I don't mean that you should wait to report it. Report it now.

You reported this by now, yes?

If you haven't reported it, do so now!

I can't understand why OP waited a week to report it. Would you wait a week to report a hit and run on your car or as a pedestrian? I just can't understand any rationale why he didn't report it THE DAY IT HAPPENED!

I would have pulled out my phone while he was still in sight and had a cop car chase him down. The local police are on speed dial on my phone for this reason. Hope you've reported this by now, if you still can. There may be a 72 hour limit or something like that, I hope I'm wrong! Good luck, hope you at least scare him into being less of a ****** around cyclists.

edit: The site bleeps out "feminine hygiene product"? Wow.

edit: The site bleeps out "feminine hygiene product"? Wow.

Yeah, it's pretty ****ing ********.

Well. I got his tag number this morning and will be filing a complaint. I wanted to be certain it was the same guy and car. And I wanted to make sure the tag was correct.

He may already have a paper trail that your complaint could add too. If he already has a record of this type then that would really help your case. In that case you mine as well be dumping gasoline on a fire :lol: Good luck to you! =]

It's a done deal now. I went in and filed a formal complaint.

Although I did wait until I could get his tag, the police seemed to be more interested in his description, and get this...One of the cops that was there while I was at the station said oh yeah, I know that car and that guy driving. He asked me to describe the driver, and he agreed that it was the same guy.

The unfortunate thing is, they can't really do anything unless I have a witness, or a visible injury (which I didn't..) or an officer see's the incident. However, there seemed to be an agreement...while they obviously can't pull him over with no probable cause, they certainly will be keeping an eye out for him.

The cop asked me what time I usually ride in to work in the morning. I told him and he said he was going to make an effort to patrol that small stretch of road not only to make things safer, but to insure that "everyone plays nicely"

They also told me to have someone at work have the picture of his car, and to make sure my wife also had one so in the event something else happened, they could nab him for the complaint as well.

SIDEBAR; I would have rather talked to the guy and reasoned with him about the importance of being safe on the roads for everyone's behalf. Cycling is a viable option for some of us to commute to work. I usually am a very conscientious cyclist, I ride as far to the right as I can, I take less traveled roads, and I follow the laws to a T.

I have a family. All I want to do is to make it from point A to Point B safely. Kum-by-Yah

I can understand that they can't ticket the guy just on your say-so, but will they at least give him a lecture?

I've usually had good experiences with police in situations like this (though never as close as yours, yikes). They contact the driver, who usually admits to the behaviour, perhaps if only to defend/justify why it wasn't so wrong. The driver then gets a bit of education and a warning... and hopefully is more careful around cyclists in the future.

I sometimes have to request that they contact the driver, but I've never been turned down.

Sounds like a pretty reasonable result so far as to the police taking it seriously. You've laid the groundwork for more serious action if anything else happens in the future.

It may also be worth asking the officers if they would mind contacting the driver informally and just explaining your rights and that they're keeping an eye out for him. A call from the police can be intimidating, and this has worked wonders for me.