FenderTL5

I guess I'm trying to decide if it's petty to report a single incident. Do you only report blatant harassment or actual contact?

Two examples:
A) I mentioned this in another thread last week. I had a cab make a right turn, on red, from the center lane of a three lane city street across in front of me. The cab had followed me for a block prior to stopping at the light. Once we stopped, he sat behind me for 15-20 seconds then pulled into the adjacent lane to make the turn.
I called the cab company. I did not call police.

B) two lane road, generous bike lanes, but approaching an intersection where the bike lane ends and becomes a right turn only lane. A SUV takes the bike lane, violating the three foot rule (close but no contact), in order to beat me to the light.
I have not called police. However, I'm 90% certain that this same lady/SUV readjusted my mirror for me in June (can't prove it). That was one of the close calls that prompted me to start taking the lane (after making the right turn at this same spot) and it was also an influence in my decision to start video recording my ride.

I have video of both examples but have not posted to a public source.
(I have them on a web server and could provide direct links)

dynodonn 

Out of tens of thousands of motorists I interact with annually, I've only reported four in a three year period. I happen to keep a "rogues" gallery of videos of a number of motorists( who have caused me a certain level of grief) and their vehicle license numbers in case I have a repeat incident with one of them, but oddly enough, I yet to have any repeat winners.

Clarabelle

The only time for me was over 20 years ago when a truck tried to squeeze by me and squeezed me into the curb. On the back of the truck was a number to call to report on their driving. I called and talked to a 3rd party rep who took down the info and said they would call the president of the Leggs company to report the incident. Not sure what happened as a result. All the other incidents I've witnessed or been involved in took place so fast I didn't get enough info to report with. I like the video idea, though. If I lived in a less rural area, I might invest in such a system.

dynodonn 

My cams operate at 30 frames per second at 1080p HD, and set on the highest resolution possible. With this setup, with the proper amount of outdoor lighting, high speeds are no longer an ally to motorists. I was able to report one motorist that was traveling at a 40 mph speed "differential", and I was still able to clearly see the vehicles license number, vehicle description decals, and the motorist looking straight at me through their windshield, then back at me through their side view mirror.

Chief

If I am able to read a plate number on a rude (or zombie) driver, they get reported to the police. I have a "one strike" policy; my reason being that if a non-apathetic cop had witnessed the event, a citation likely would have been made.
But even with my high expectations of drivers, I only get about one driver every six months that is worth a call to the police.

spivonious

I've been lucky so far - no overly bad drivers. I did have a guy turn left in front of me at a light, and of course the cars that violate the four foot law, but nothing so close that it felt dangerous.

If it was dangerous, I'd try to get their license plate and I'd report them right away. There's no excuse for putting someone's life in danger.

FenderTL5

That's the part that p!$$ed me off with the recent incident, the smirk on the driver's face in the rear-view. You could tell she did it on purpose.
My camera didn't pick up the interior of the SUV (and mirror) because of the bright sunshine, but I saw it.

fwiw, the LPD has an online form for reporting incidents. I just filled it out for yesterday's incident.

dynodonn 

I pick my battles, otherwise I end up being considered a chronic caller by law enforcement, and so I really have to scrutinize my videos to make sure that I have enough reason to make a report. I generally report motorists that are blatant enough in their actions, that an incident can be called deliberate. My last reported incident involved a motorist deliberately positioning their vehicle in the roadway to make a close pass, see them quickly accelerate their vehicle, and having them using their vehicle's horn as they are passing alongside me.

benjdm

I've only asked the police to talk to one driver so far - and it wasn't me they were endangering.

gmt13

I did once. I was unable to convince the officer to view the video of the driver passing me on the left as I was making a left turn. The intersection was five way. I was ahead of her in the LT lane making a hard left and she planned to take the not so hard left. Scared me big time. Anyhow, all the officer wanted to talk about was how cyclists needed to obey the traffic laws.

Perhaps I should have been more persistent, but it probably would have still ended up a waste of time.

-G

genec

The only time I have reported a motorist is when they have actually hit me. I have been downed three times... one was a right hook and all I got was bruises. I let that one go as a warning to me.

The other two I reported. (actually the third one was called in for me.)

dwellman

I still haven't called about the unleashed dogs on two intersection I ride by regularly. . . but it's not necessarily a police thing.

FenderTL5

Wow. I would've reported that one.

SlimAgainSoon

As for a driver's taking the bike lane before making a right-hand turn ... that's good driving, as long as accomplished safely and sanely.

It prevents a right hook. Any cyclist just waits for the driver to complete the turn, then proceeds.

I believe this is even in the driver's manual for my state (Florida).

I know it looks aggressive when you see it, but it makes sense.

Chief

I guess I don't perceive that I might become a nuisance to LEO's. Even if I had the benefit of a camera, there may be 2 or 3 times as many plates I could identify, decide they were exhibiting truely dangerous behavior, and I'd make a phone call. That would still only be 4-6 times per year.
My last report was a guy screaming as he buzzed the group of us. Seemed like intoxicated behavior to me, so I made the call.

Sooner Rider

It has to meet two standards in order for me to call the police:

1) It was an action that - if I were driving my car - would prompt a call; and
2) I could specify the violation to the responding officer ("He cut me off and made me crash," not "He cut me off and made me mad").

Commodus

Very rarely. It has to be something downright criminal, so that pretty much means they're doing something on purpose that could directly kill me.

People can yell and honk if they like. Those folks are jerks, but I'm not going to waste any time on it.

The last time I called was a guy who squeezed me so close that he actually brushed my shoulder with his mirror. This was at 4:30AM on a completely deserted four lane street, me in the right tire track as always (no shoulder or anything). I figured he had to be either doing it on purpose or was drunk or something. I called that in and a very nice lady Mountie called me back 45 minutes later telling me she was sitting behind the truck in question, parked at the driver's workplace. She advised me as to what law he broke, and asked me if I wanted him charged. It was a good resolution.

turbo1889

The last one I reported did a U-turn on a fairly deserted five lane (middle turn lane) highway late at night and then forced me off into the ditch when I was riding on a wide shoulder not even in the main traffic lanes and then did another U-turn and proceeded on their way. (Yes, you understood that correctly he was going the opposite direction I was on the other side of the road initually.) I got the plate on that one and I did call it in and they caught the guy and his buddies (young punk with a bunch of other young punks all doing the "party on wheels" thing) with a fresh scrape in the paint on the side of his truck made by the end of my handlebars.

That was several years ago. Since then I've had two other bad ones that were worth reporting but I didn't get the plate.

B. Carfree

I've contacted the police about JAMs five times. Once was in the Bay Area. That was the only one that even got a report taken, probably because the munchkin actually got out of the car after trying to hit me with it and came running up to me swinging his tiny fists. I just held him upside down until he stopped wiggling. When I let him go he drove off and a witness convinced me to call the cops to get the crazy guy off the streets. The D.A. let him off with some sort of probation.

The other incidents have all been in OR. So far, my local police and sheriffs refuse to take a report. However, they have a new online complaint form, so maybe that will change things if I decide to give it another go. (The purpose of the online form is to get a better idea of where enforcement is needed, at least according to the commander I spoke with last month. This may have resulted from complaints to the higher-ups that no one will take any reports.)

dynodonn 

Though that maneuver by the motorist was not safe, doing stop action viewing, all parties involved were at an enough distance away to not hurt each other, and probably at a greater distance than some video incidents posted on BF. Personally, I would have not made a call, and only noted the vehicle, since I seen/experienced worst while riding in dedicated bicycling infrastructure on D.O.T designed/approved roadways.

benjdm

I wasn't looking for charges to be filed or hysterical or anything. I just showed the video to a state trooper and asked if they could talk to the driver about being more patient before he passed unsafely. (You can count the seconds between when he turned right after the bridge and when he would have reached the turn if he had stayed behind me - it's about 5 seconds.)

In short, I pretty much agree with you.

Chief

If an LEO had witnessed that (and cared to do anything) a citation would have followed; at the very least, for passing on a double-yellow.

dynodonn 

First off, the chances are slim to none in the motorist making that type of maneuver in the presence of an on duty LEO driving their patrol vehicle. At one of our local bike meetings, we had some LEOs as guest speakers, and they are all too aware of these types of maneuvers, but most LEOs see this done while they are off duty and driving their personal vehicles.

Notso_fastLane

In addition, most (if not all) states allow exceptions to the double yellow in cases where a vehicle is safely passing a very slow moving vehicle like a tractor or bicycle. In this case, though, that wasn't a safe pass. I can't help but think that the driver would not have done that had that been an oncoming car, and not a motorcycle (Can Am tryke, actually). As a motorcycle rider also, cars treat them as badly, if not worse, than bicycles. The main difference being that most motorcycles can stop, turn, and accelerate better than almost any car out there in decent to good weather conditions.

Noize4

The part of Nashville you are in must have a lot of aggressive motorists compared to where I am out here in the suburbs. I haven't had any encounters close enough that were worth calling the police over, and probably wouldn't unless there was actual contact.

Not that they would care or do anything if I did report an incident. The Franklin police are pretty cool, but the Spring Hill police are way more interested in hiding in the bushes and making revenue for the city than actually serving and protecting the community.