Cars Passing You.

egrocket said:

Earlier today I had a car try to pass me and when it was passing me it cam so close to me that the side mirrors almost clipped me. I have his license plate, so do you think that the police will do anything. I do feel angry because I could have died but I don't know if it will ever happen again. What has been your experience?

You are kinda new in cycling right? 😄

The police "might" do something if you are in Austria. In rural China, maybe not...

Try avoiding high speed roads. Also avoid roads which have truck traffic. Trucks generate alot of wind turbulence that can shake you quite a bit when they pass next to you.

Actually, now that I think of it, the most dangerous road I cycled in, is the freaking cycle path. Drunk tourists in rent bikes, sketchy noobs, babies, dogs, the lot. 😄

egrocket said:

Earlier today I had a car try to pass me and when it was passing me it cam so close to me that the side mirrors almost clipped me. I have his license plate, so do you think that the police will do anything. I do feel angry because I could have died but I don't know if it will ever happen again. What has been your experience?

Unless you have a movie the police can provide no assistance.

I tend to ride far enough to the left that cars have to cross the lane line to pass. This causes them to leave more room. It also give me room to the right so i can move away if I feel it is necessary.

What police will and wont do depends entirely on the jurisdiction. I would say that it wont hurt to report it at the very least. You don't know if you don't try.

Yeah, it happened to me once and I punched the car's window when I caught up with it. I don't recommend doing the same but the feeling of nearly getting ran over and killed just made me lose it. Well, it's just one of the many hazards and dangers the we cyclists deal with all the time... But, riding is still a lot of fun and I just can't stop. 😄

Thanks for your replies! I have been riding for a few years now, and this is the closest call I had. It seems like common sense to move over a few feet while passing people, but I guess not all people have it.

Happens all the time. The police where I live don't do anything. They say they'll investigate but secretly, I believe they're thinking "at least you didn't die".

I honestly don't think it would be that complicated to follow up on reports such as this. Send out a warning letter to the license holder, if they get 3 warnings, then they face a penalty or suspension. Anything to get the word across to people that almost killing cyclists is not okay.

Femiluv said:

Happens all the time. The police where I live don't do anything. They say they'll investigate but secretly, I believe they're thinking "at least you didn't die".

I honestly don't think it would be that complicated to follow up on reports such as this. Send out a warning letter to the license holder, if they get 3 warnings, then they face a penalty or suspension. Anything to get the word across to people that almost killing cyclists is not okay.

I guess you would be happy with 3 warning letters and then your right to bicycle on the roads is revoked.

There are several problems with complaints about motorists. One is the owner may not be driving. Another is that the motorist might not be in the wrong. It is hard to present a defense on these issues months after the fact.

From my house to the local multi-use trail requires me riding 1.5 miles on a 2 lane road with a lot of trucks hauling sand. Many are 18 wheelers. From time to time I am not very comfortable. I could tie up a police vehicle full time with complaints.

Police do not investigate murder, drug dealers, and crime with real harm

You think they will do anything about your wet undies?

I have had drivers run me off the road, come back to do it again over and over. The PD would not even take a report. They pretty much laughed; so, I don't bother with 911.

It's the most annoying thing. Which is why you need mirrors.

I can guarantee that the police won't do anything since you weren't actually struck by the mirror. Some jurisdictions are tougher on motorists than others when it comes to what they do to cyclists, but you're probably out of luck. Now things would probably be different if the car had struck you and then you had the license plate.

[FONT=arial]It is a shame that most countries discriminate against cyclists.[/FONT] Even though a cyclist generates less pollution, saves on oil imports etc. Roads are only built for heavier vehicles. No allowance is made for cycling room on most roads and this is dangerous – mostly to the cyclist.
[FONT=arial]Whether one can claim against a motorist is dubious at best.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]In my prime cycling days I learned to intimidate the traffic. Whenever possible, drive a distance inside the vehicle lane so that the vehicle has to change lanes, or purposely swerve in order to get past. At night time I found it even safer when I mount a bright flashing light behind my bike and then drive in the middle of the lane. Motorists are really intimidated by this. I love cycling late at night and feel very safe doing so.[/FONT]

[FONT=arial]Once an accident happens though, the cyclist always has the worst of it. He/she is more likely to be injured or killed than a motorist and more likely to be abandoned by a hit and run driver. A cyclist is probably also less likely to receive compensation for an injury, in my view.[/FONT]

gavinfree said:

I can guarantee that the police won't do anything since you weren't actually struck by the mirror. Some jurisdictions are tougher on motorists than others when it comes to what they do to cyclists, but you're probably out of luck. Now things would probably be different if the car had struck you and then you had the license plate.

I guess you're right but still, better take heed next time.

The police won't really do anything. They rarely investigate anything unless it's absolutely serious. That's how it is around here anyway.

I tend to stick to back roads and when I get a car behind me I pull in & let him go. Mainly because I'm a nervous person at heart & don't want any hassle.

I always bike in the side of the road, on the right side, of course. When I sense a vehicle behind me, I give it a glance and check where it is going. If it is too fast then it is easy to give way. What annoys me are 4-wheel vehicles that are slow like racing with me. So what I do sometimes for slow vehicles is for me to pull over and let them pass.

Susimi said:

The police won't really do anything. They rarely investigate anything unless it's absolutely serious. That's how it is around here anyway.

I tend to stick to back roads and when I get a car behind me I pull in & let him go. Mainly because I'm a nervous person at heart & don't want any hassle.

Yeah that's really interesting.

A lot of people in cars do not leave enough room for cyclists wherever you are. I was cycling on a quiet country road once and a motorist really came close enough to make me wobble. Then I looked up and saw rider on a horse ahead and the motorist gave the horse a wide berth!
I was so cross. Why couldn't I have the same consideration?
Motorists only worry if they think their precious vehicles are in danger.

If you managed to know the registration number of the car then you need to report the driver to the police. That is reckless driving. Reckless drivers cause deaths on our roads. As long as you keep and follow road rules, then you are on the safe side.

I doubt the police will do anything unless you had a serious injury. Stay safe next time alright?

When something like this happens it is important that you document everything and make a police report. I'm sure the cops can't do anything at this point because it's going to be his word against yours, but you made an effort to report it and if it ever happens again, those records can be brought up again and use d against the driver.