Commuting - Nearly killed by drunken idiots but I the bike rider came out on top!

I was riding home tonight, left work at 9:30pm for my 10 mile commute home. About halfway through my ride i large lifted jeep swerved ride next to me practically playing chicken with me to fall into the curb. I have many red blinkies(3) on the back so I was clearly visible. Then they proceed to ride along side of me and honk an air train horn to scare me. Followed by that the passenger attempted to reach out of the window and grab my back or backpack in an effort to do i dont know. Luckily he missed as a yelled back at hit and swatted my arm. There was nowhere I could go as there was a very tall curb on my right side. Additionally it was pitch black out. Thankfully the jeep was lifted large and was very obvious to identify as I proceeded stop and called the local Police dept. Just after I got home and got out of the shower the dispatcher from the police dept called my cell phone back and thanked me for the information as the car was pulled over with 3 underage kids drunk, including the driver. Luckily I came away from this situation alive and not hit at all. But thats what they get, serves them right. +1 for the Bike!!!! Additionally I am only 20 years old myself and this was one town away from where I live. Maby I knew them, who knows.

Well done. Glad you came out unharmed.
Be careful when you ride again,though. They might be looking for a chance for retaliation.

Well done. Glad you came out unharmed.
Be careful when you ride again,though. They might be looking for a chance for retaliation.
Thanks, I hope/dont think they got a good look at my face, it was very dark, minimal street light and I had a helmet and riding glasses on.

You did the right thing. Hopefully a lesson will be learned - and even if not, you might have already saved another life tonight.

Thank you for doing the right thing!

I'm glad you are safe! Thanks for making the streets safe for the rest of us by reporting these idiots. A happy ending indeed.

That's my biggest fear : no matter how visible and safe you are there's nothing one can do to prevent those stupid drunk drivers. Very glad you're ok and be safe!

you did the right thing. Thank you!

Glad you're OK!

Well done.

Empyting a pepper spray into the vehicle tends to disable the driver and the passengers quite fast in such situations. They wouldnt be able to breathe or see long enough for you to take the keys of the vehicle and call police. No mercy for drunken idiots.

Glad that you are OK. And also glad those kids were caught.

Calling the cops to deal with idiots: Always the right move.

Thankfully, these people are the very small minority. Glad you came out of it ok.

Outstanding, always good to come away from those encounters uninjured :)

You did the right thing, the next encounter with these jokers may not have been so lucky.

I believe "life in prison" would be a suitable punishment. At least that way they probably wouldn't reproduce.

Kids AND the parents. Lock em all up.

I believe "life in prison" would be a suitable punishment. At least that way they probably wouldn't reproduce.As stupid as they are, they probably already have.

Good for you! No mercy for a$$holes, drunk or not. In my area, I get harrassed by idiots once or twice a year. Usually just a close drive-by with or without the passenger yelling. Once a bottle thrown at me. I keep my cell phone handy for just that reason.

I am seeing more and more YouTube bike videos where people like this are caught on camera. Even if you caught one person's license plate it would be worth it. I have even moved my audio record app to the front page of my iPhone so I can voice note license plates.

Good for you! No mercy for a$$holes, drunk or not. In my area, I get harrassed by idiots once or twice a year. Usually just a close drive-by with or without the passenger yelling. Once a bottle thrown at me. I keep my cell phone handy for just that reason.

I'm confused.

What good will it do to throw your cell phone back at them?

I'm confused.

What good will it do to throw your cell phone back at them?

http://midlifecrisishawaii.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/motorola-first_cell_phone.jpg

Good to hear that they did not cause any physical harm. Well done on reporting them to the cops - it is the wise thing to do.
Many states have laws against aggressive driving, and it can fall under assault, depending on the state.

I'm confused.

What good will it do to throw your cell phone back at them?

You are confused. It's to call the police. Yeah. I knew you were joking, but just in case you weren't.

You are confused. It's to call the police. Yeah. I knew you were joking, but just in case you weren't.

:lol:

I was.

I wouldn't count too much on the police doing anything.

The other day I was at work and out behind the building I work in. Across the street is an apartment complex. I heard "pop pop.....pop" - three shots fired. I shouted through the back door of our building to my boss.

"Call the cops, someone is shooting across the street."

My boss came out the back door holding a portable phone and handed it to me. The genius had called the standard police line and not 911. "If you'd like to speak Spanish, press one" (in Spanish). I looked at him like he was crazy, hung up and dialed 911. Someone answered the phone and asked me what city I was in.

"You're ****ing me. You mean we've outsourced 911?!?!?!??!"

"No, this is the voice over IP operator, what city and do you need police, fire or ambulance?"

I told her what was going on and she transferred me to another operator. The second operator transferred me to someone else. While this was going on a silver Ford Taurus (somewhere around an '02 or '03 model) pulled out of the apartment parking lot, turned left (away from me), burned off down the street and made another left at the end of the road. Last time I saw them, they were headed North on a fairly busy street.

Finally I got a Houston dispatcher/911 person on the line. I told him what was going on and told him what I had seen of the vehicle.

"Yeah.....last time I saw the car it was headed North on Kirkwood. Of course, w/ all these phone follies, the guy might be in Kansas by now. If you can scare someone up, you might want to send a car out here to make sure no one is wounded."

Fifteen minutes later a couple of patrol cars showed up. They filled out some forms with info provided by people in the complex and then they left. They never did bother coming over and talking to me. I think their purpose was to make sure the paperwork was right so that the crime census could be accurate.

Somehow, I doubt they'll be throwing up any roadblocks over a guy who throws a beer bottle at a bicyclist.

I don't blame you for being hopeful, though.

:lol:

Somehow, I doubt they'll be throwing up any roadblocks over a guy who throws a beer bottle at a bicyclist.

I don't blame you for being hopeful, though.


People have been prosecuted for injuring pedestrians by throwing stuff from vehicles, aggravated assualt, I believe was the charge in the case I'm with which I'm familiar. It might have even been attempted murder. The DA in that case was out for blood.

It's entirely plausible for these idiots to be charged.

People have been prosecuted for injuring pedestrians by throwing stuff from vehicles, aggravated assualt, I believe was the charge in the case I'm with which I'm familiar. It might have even been attempted murder. The DA in that case was out for blood.

It's entirely plausible for these idiots to be charged.

I hope they are charged and receive a harsh enough punishment to make them reconsider the next time they have an opportunity to mess w/ someone who is simply minding his own business.

I can say, though, that after eleven years of working in the prison system and numerous interaction (as a victim or someone reporting a crime) w/ the police in Houston, I'm a bit.......cynical (I guess would be the word)......when it comes to any kind of justice in the world.

Empyting a pepper spray into the vehicle tends to disable the driver and the passengers quite fast in such situations. They wouldnt be able to breathe or see long enough for you to take the keys of the vehicle and call police. No mercy for drunken idiots.That would be smart, driver screams, covers his eyes, and jams foot down on accelerator thinking it's the brake? Around here, you'd probably get done for assault with weapon for doing that.

The OP did the right thing, and I hope the yahoos get the book thrown at them. Again, around here, they'd get drunk driving, underage drinking, and no-insurance. ( $2,500 fine and vehicle impounded for the last one. ) If the police felt they could get the charges to stick, they'd probably include assault with a deadly weapon.

I really appreciate the areas some of you live where police actually respond to things, especially on the road. Where I work, once a group of five men crowded around our front desk, threatening physical retaliation over some poor treatment from a manager. The dispatcher called back nearly a half hour after 911 was called, asking if we still needed police. That's the worst case scenario since I've been there, but the city's average call-to-dispatch time (time to dispatch an officer; not necessarily for someone to arrive on the scene) is over 5 minutes on average. And typically the officers who finally arrive rarely give half a rat's about the actual situation.

I was involved in a vehicular hit-and-run a few years ago. I took down the plate number, and they decided to pull over when they looked behind and saw me on the phone. They pulled over, claimed the police would never arrive, and left. An officer showed up, took the info, said he's "look into it." That's the last I heard. He wouldn't even give me a report number; said they'd call if anything turned up. It was just scuffed paint, so I dealt with my car's slight damage on my own.