I was on my way home from work yesterday and when I crossed into Ohio from PA, my shoulder goes away and I ride on the right of the right lane as usual. There was like 12 cars coming from behind and this lady in a minivan decides to ride right up on my back tire while waiting for the other cars to go around. As this was going on (she was less than 2 feet from my tire and it was scary) we passed a cop sitting in a parking lot. As the traffic cleared, she finally went around me and just then the cop pulls out with the lights on and pulled her over when she turned on the next side street.

I know she was not speeding, so I assume she was pulled over for following too close?

If so, that makes me feel good that the cop was looking out for me

She might have been straining to get a closer gaze at your mullet. Good on that cop though.

Did you stick around?

I would have stopped nearby, but not too close. Then, after the officer finished up with the driver I would have approached the officer, and expressed my concerns of being tailgated by the motorist. Thereby finding out if that was the reason he/she pulled her over.

When I rode by, he looked at me but did not signal or wave for me to stop, so I kept rolling.

Better to have gone right over to the officer who had the driver pulled over and asked to file charges against this driver. If he pulled her over for another reason, you could have added yours to the list. If he pulled her over for what she did to you, then you could have given him your statement as well to add to it should she show up in court and contest it.

J.

Do cops need additional witnesses in court if they ticket someone for reckless driving?

I don't believe so - the officer is the witness on most traffic tickets. But that doesn't mean the judge doesn't take mercy on them. Less likely to happen if there is yet another witness/statement (stronger case).

Something like happened here is just plain scary and probably even qualifies for road rage at some point. If the cyclist falls in this case, it's probably certain death due to being run over.

If you ever have some free time, it's a hoot to go to traffic court and watch what happens. Years ago, I watched one guy make the case to the judge that his speeding ticket should be dropped because the radar gun wouldn't have been able to discern whether it was this driver's car or the car in front of him. The judge spent a lot of time querying the guy about how close he was until he got him to admit to a fixed distance. Then the judge dropped the speeding ticket and stuck him with a tailgating ticket instead based on his testimony of how close he was and the speed he said he was driving. I thought this guy was going to blow a fuse.

J.

You driving the Peterbuilt or the Huffy?

Depends on the court and jurisdiction. We've had a lot of shenanigans by cops trying to meet quota or just having fun at citizens expense and some judges have started to lean towards a bit more innocent until proven guilty, especially with cops that have gained a reputation for having tickets overturned in court. Of course we've also had a long line of cops caught peddling drugs, getting freebies from hookers for not arresting them, filling their pockets and squads while investigating store robberies ("insurance will cover it"), and the entire drug gang task force disbanded for a long list of illegal stuff so our cops don't exactly have reputation on their side. Oh, there's also the several million $'s paid out each year in abuse settlements.

Always good though to see cops doing the right thing like in this case.

Yeah! It's astounding some of the ridiculous stuff people try to claim. It's like they read some BS on the internet about how to beat traffic tickets and then when they try to do it they sound like idiots.

That's a good plan, especially if the drivers stunt had you truly fearing for your safety.

No, but if the OP asked him to charge her with something other than what he pulled her over for then the OP would have to appear to press the charges.

The good news is the cop would then be the witness as well as the arresting officer...

Back when I rode motorbikes, I once saw a cop pull someone who had merged on me. It's satisfying.

Maybe it's different where you live, but here in SoCal I'd not stop anywhere near a cop doing a traffic stop. Out here they approach the car with the assumption that anyone in the car could be armed and ready to blow them away. They don't want or need to be distracted by a bike rider or anyone else.

Enjoy the satisfaction, that's crazy to follow so close and good on the cop for doing something about it.

I have had no issues since I started commuting in April. I commuted almost every day and have had no issues with cars until the other day when I had an impatient driver late to pick up big macs for the whole family get closer to me than any other car ever has. I suspect since the cop was there and witnessed it, he took action. Even if it was a warning, that is a good thing because in this neighborhood, I am the only bicycle commuter around this town.

It's a very bad idea to approach a cop doing a traffic stop. One time I was following someone to a job site and they got pulled over, I pulled over too and they didn't like that at all. Apparently some criminal types and drug runners travel in pairs to cause a distraction so they can escape easier.

I would be comfortable doing this in Chicago (where I grew up) where it's just as bad or worse of a battle zone. There's a non threatening way to do it and you don't move fast and stay where they see you. Kinda common sense.

J.

I agree, especially if you think the cop pulled her over for following you too close.

Just keep your distance until he either acknowledges you or finishes writing her up...

I used to be a cop, and it could be fun when someone in a car yelled at me, or tried to lecture me about riding bikes on the street. Some drivers were belligerent enough to stop and roll down their window, or get out of their cars to threaten me. It was fun to see the look on their faces when I would show them my ID and badge, order them to get out of their car, have a seat on the curb, and then wait while I had a patrol car come out to check their license, registration, insurance, etc.

What's a really bad idea is to decide to attack a pedal pub without knowing exactly who's on it. Cyclists attack PedalPubs with squirt guns in Minneapolis; six arrested - StarTribune.com

I saw that. I live in the Twin Cities. This is what passes for high crime around here.

I thought that was hilarious. Can you even imagine what was going through the heads of those knuckleheads when they were face down on the pavement being cuffed? Not exactly the outcome they had imagined....

J

maybe you can go to the precinct and ask to speak to the officer who pulled her over to find out.

i wish cops would pull over the jerks who have done this to me.

As much as I hate to have to deal with another gadget, cameras do seem to be changing the game in a lot of the cyclist harassment cases lately.

The other thing I've notice here in Minnesota, is since our state started promoting bicycle infrastructure on roads and in the cities, drivers have gotten a lot better at co-existing with cyclists. 20 years ago, I couldn't go on a ride without a car driver yelling at me out the window. Now they are treating cyclists much better and more as a normal part of traffic. So a big part of this is education although, in this case, a jerk is just a jerk and little is going to change that.

J.

I've observed the same improvement. There is less jerky behavior.