Police have cautioned one cyclist and are seeking two others in connection with two road rage incidents in recent days.
On one occasion, a 51-year cyclist followed a driver home and punched him in the face for hooting at his group ride when he wanted to pass.
On another, a driver was hauled from his seat and threatened with his house being burned down after he narrowly avoided hitting a pair of cyclists in a layby.
On April 20, Kim Chapman was punched outside his home in Goose Green, Surrey.
He told the Dorking and Leatherhead Advertiser that he had passed a group of six cyclists earlier on his way home.
He said: "I was quite happy following them because they were doing about 25mph, but when they indicated to turn left I thought that I could overtake them on the right without affecting them."
He said he hooted his horn to let the riders know that he was about to pass.
But on arrival at his home he heard a knock on his car window.
"I opened the door and, in hindsight, that was a mistake, but I did not think that I had done anything wrong," he said.
"There were quite a few cross words shouted, and then he punched me in the left eye.
"It wouldn't have been such a problem if I hadn't previously had surgery on the very same eye in December 2012.
"I was so shaken up. I really did not know what to do with myself. My mother heard the commotion outside our house and she was shaking a lot too. I don't think she stopped shaking for the entire day.
"It was horrible. Nothing like this has happened to me before and I hope nothing like this will ever happen again."
Local police confirmed that a 51-year-old man from Dorking had been cautioned following the incident.
She said: "Officers arrested the offender on Sunday, April 20, after an altercation between the two men."
Just ten days later, two cyclists in Thurnham, Lancaster, who had pulled into a layby, were nearly hit by the car following them when it swerved to avoid another car coming the other way.
The cyclists then verbally abused the driver of the car, allegedly grabbing his arm and attempting to pull him out of the vehicle.
The cyclist allegedly threatened to kick the driver’s head in, find out where he lives and burn his house down.
The driver managed to take a picture of one of the riders, which can be seen here.
PC Faye Tinker and PC John Bradshaw, from Lancaster & Morecambe Police told The Visitor: “We would appeal to the public in order to provide any information in regards to the identification of the cyclist.
“The car driver and passenger were on holiday in the area and were shocked and traumatised by the incident.
“This is not the image we wish to leave with people visiting the area and we would like to speak to the cyclists to obtain their version of events.”
Anybody with any information can call police on 101 quoting Crime Number BA1405431.
A few weeks ago we reported that two cyclists had appeared in court in South Africa in connection with a road rage incident in Cape Town in which a van driver was punched and assaulted with pepper spray.
The incident was filmed by the occupant of a nearby car and can be seen below:
The cameraman Symon Scott said: “There was a lot more going down than what you can see in the video."
-1024x680.jpg "“Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident")
66 thoughts on “Police caution one cyclist and seek two others in connection with violent road rage attacks on drivers”
not surprised in the least,
not surprised in the least, if the police and the courts won’t do anything what do you expect?
Did the verbals from the two
Did the verbals from the two cyclists nearly kill the driver? No. Did the drivers inability to pass a couple of cyclists put their lives in danger? Yes
road.cc wrote:He said: “I was
This account from the chap in Surrey makes no real sense… If the cyclists were turning left, i.e onto another road, and the driver was going straight on, why not simply leave them to turn off and carry on your way, rather than try and overtake them while they were doing it?
Sounds more to me like the driver probably trying a punishment pass and sounding his horn in a mix of frustration and relief after having been “stuck” behind the cyclists for however long.
Interesting behaviour for someone so young, probably brought about through inexperience and the inability to otherwise judge a suitable place to overtake. Of course, now going to the local paper on the claim of him actually being the victim here, despite his actions having provoked the response he got (not to condone it of course…).
“I beeped the horn to let
“I beeped the horn to let them know I was passing” bullshit. There are times when drivers do give a very quick toot to let me know, but that doesn’t provoke any anger in me and I’m certain that won’t be the case here.
spence129 wrote:”I beeped the
Personally I find someone beeping their horn behind me smacks of impatience, they don’t need to beep their horn in order to do a safe pass and they shouldn’t. It does provoke anger in me.
The question that has to be
The question that has to be asked by the police is ” do you think what he did justified your actions in law? “. The answer is inevitably no. If the driver had done something wrong the proper reaction is not to threaten or assault them, but to inform them and I necessary the police. Local vigilantism is not the right way. Imagine the uproar when it is the other way round. Cyclist makes silly manoeuvre ( it does happen ) so driver follows them home and assaults them. Yes I know it has happened but the reactions on here when they get caught is ” good “. The local cops are a bit powerless to help when you take justice into your own hands. It undermines your complaint and highlights what you did instead.
Sswindells wrote:If the
…who will do absolutely nothing whatsoever. The police don’t care about cyclists.
Quote:when they indicated to
Given this guy’s account it’s difficult to know the exact circumstances but what I can say is that there are very few instances when it’s ok to overtake at a junction. In fact I can think of only one, and I’d put money on this one not falling into that category.
Still, it doesn’t excuse premeditated violence. I could understand something happening in the heat of the moment, had the driver stopped and tried to have it out with them, but to follow the guy home and smack him? That’s not right. Any club worth its constitution should be at the least suspending the guy’s membership.
Hmmm, the whiff of BS, very
Hmmm, the whiff of BS, very one-sided accounts of “well-behaved”, “well-intentioned” car drivers. Naturally all cyclists get angry at such well behaved drivers….
Unacceptable behaviour from
Unacceptable behaviour from scumbag lycra louts. These guys need to be prosecuted just as harshly as any motorist behaving in this manner should be.
“These guys need to be
“These guys need to be prosecuted just as harshly as any motorist behaving in this manner should be.”
Let off, you mean?
nowasps wrote:”These guys
Great reply, totally agree.
jmaccelari wrote:Unacceptable
So, a £30 fine then.
Edit: my bad, you said should, not would.
Just last weekend I witnessed
Just last weekend I witnessed a car driver blasting his horn at any cyclists he encountered in Surrey and passing in a very aggressive and dangerous manner. This guy was a danger to everyone and with his manner of driving, should not be on the road. There were some pretty robust responses from some of the cyclists and if he had had to stop at a junction, it would not have ended well.
If you report it, you’d probably get more response if you shouted into the desert and therein lies the problem – rank indifference from law & order.
I’ve said it before but we really need a “fit and proper” test for a driving licence and if you have anger issues, it goes.
TBH, I’m surprised there
TBH, I’m surprised there hasn’t been more stories like this reported. Most cyclists I know are at their wits end with the impunity drivers receive after they collide with and injure, or kill cyclists.
I received a letter from the met yesterday about a case where a driver hit a friend then tried to drive over her, continuing to drive through our group.
He got a £120 fine & 3 points for driving without due care.
Are we meant to be placated with that, that justice has been served?
If anything, until there is a paradigm shift in the attitudes of politicians, urban planners and at least drivers, then expect more of this kind of news.
Hearing stories of cyclists
Hearing stories of cyclists standing up for themselves gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling inside… 8>
eurotrash wrote:Hearing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnkPU2wcdz8
Since when does sounding a
Since when does sounding a horn mean “I am about to pass” ?
I have never heard of this before, and I am confident that it is not in any road legislation or driving guides.
Reading between the lines,
Reading between the lines, there’s a reason why the first case went no further than a caution. The Police were also picking up on the overwhelming smell of BS.
bikebot wrote:Reading between
Spot on, I think. That he punched the driver in the face isn’t at question and you would think that that was common assault at least, unless the Police firmly believed that if they went further it would just get complicated along with a lot of paperwork.
I can’t believe some people
I can’t believe some people are defending these cyclists and their reported behaviour.
For those of you who don’t know that the horn is a warning device that should be used to alert other road users of your presence; you shouldn’t be on the road in a car or on a bike.
The reality is that as cycling has become more popular the small % of cyclists who are idiots will become more visible to other road users; just as the small % of motorists who are idiots have been highly visible to me for the last 35 years!
Legin wrote:…… For those
But why did he feel the need to sound his horn at a group of cyclists that were turning left, presumably off the main carriageway, and out of his way?
If it was to warn them of his presence, why? He was behind them, it was his responsibility to not endanger their lives by poor driving. Sounding your horn in those circumstances is poor driving. He probably didn’t deserve to get smacked but you only know his side of the story.
It doesn’t say how far from his home the incident occured but if a group member followed him home surely he must have seen them in his rear view mirror. I don’t know of many 51 year olds who could keep up with a car travelling at the general speed limit of 30mph, maybe he needs signing up by a pro-team.
Legin wrote:I can’t believe
Funnily enough there was a programme on telly npt more than a few weeks ago where a motorist used his horn at an unmarked police car.
He was stopped and then stuck on for 3 points. Given a solid dressing down for being aggressive.
And a horn soinds a lot less aggressive inside a carv!
10 metres away than it does 4 ft behind your right ear.
Why is there a video from
Why is there a video from South Africa attached? What is the relevance?
Punching someone in the grid
Punching someone in the grid = unacceptable. People need to grow up.
ajmarshal1 wrote:Punching
Perhaps if they thought that if they followed the correct procedure and reported the incident to the police then nothing would happen, I can’t imagine why.
i was knocked off by a hit
i was knocked off by a hit and run broken leg sustained. took the police 4 weeks to start investigating ,after numerous phone calls filling in paperwork(to save them coming out, as stated on paperwork), and they want us to help them !!!!
Without condoning any violent
Without condoning any violent action, the biggest problem now and for the foreseeable future in this country is the ‘us v them’ attitude that pervades. It’s deeply culturally ingrained and above all else, it’s this that makes our roads dangerous. Yes, we lack the infrastructure for safe cycling, but does this mean people need to treat each other with so little respect?
I was cycling in Andalucia recently, and was amazed and heartened by the fact that motorists were just so calm and patient, only overtaking when they could see the road ahead and able to pass with a car width between you and them. It made me less hostile towards and wary of drivers, and it meant the drivers weren’t racing along with steam coming out their ears.
I cannot believe the number
I cannot believe the number of people on here condoning attacking someone, whether they are a cyclist or not. Its a shame and a sad reflection of our modern lives when this sort of action is deemed acceptable. The even sadder thing is the 14 or so likes attached to the first post supporting this action.
It makes me want to give up cycling!
indyjukebox wrote:I cannot
I cannot believe you posted that.
indyjukebox wrote:I cannot
It’s schadenfreude. We’re like the kid at school who gets bullied constantly but every now and then manages to get his own back. When the law doesn’t protect us natural law sometimes rears its ugly, satisfying head.
darrenleroy wrote:indyjukebox
It’s schadenfreude. We’re like the kid at school who gets bullied constantly but every now and then manages to get his own back. When the law doesn’t protect us natural law sometimes rears its ugly, satisfying head.— indyjukebox
Now that really is BS!!
indyjukebox wrote:I cannot
You can’t have cycled many miles as this shit happens to most of us everyday. Where do you ride, the Shetland Isles on a sunday? Why should we be scared shitless by malicious and dangerous drivers who are simply impatient ignorant morons? I am all for affirmative action, take back the roads, but I’d draw the line at pursuing some one to their house then punching them in the gob when they answered the door although we only have a moton’s account of what happened and of course they NEVER lie …….. The moton probably continued to make threats and abuse against the cyclist(s) so he was hit, deservedly so.
How many times have moton’s lied through their teeth in statements and in court to try to get off or tweeted about killing cyclists? It’s about time cyclists fought back against these dangerous menaces that unfortunately do kill and maim us all too frequently. The police invariably do fuck all and the courts let these dangerous drivers off or give them a slap on the wrist or a medal. When I was knocked down in a hit and run the police did fuck all. The letter I got confirming they were doing sweet FA assumed I was a car driver. This shows you how stupid and incompetent and CBA they are.
So many cyclists have died mown down by fuckwit morons and nothing or very little has been done or the criminal justice system has made a mockery of what happened. RIP to all those cyclists killed on UK roads. I am sure there will be more as the car is king so the status quo will no doubt continue.
Airzound wrote:
You can’t
None of what you have written justifies following someone home and then punching them in the face.
People lie all the time. They open doors into your car whilst you are sitting in the car and lie that they didn’t cause the damage to your car door. Builders do a shabby job and lie about the materials or weather causing the poor outcome.
People tell lies for the littlest things, but that doesn’t mean you assault them. And if you think it is ok to punch people in the face, then there is something very wrong with you, WHETHER YOU ARE A CYCLIST OR NOT!
.
.
indyjukebox wrote:Airzound
None of what you have written justifies following someone home and then punching them in the face.
People lie all the time. They open doors into your car whilst you are sitting in the car and lie that they didn’t cause the damage to your car door. Builders do a shabby job and lie about the materials or weather causing the poor outcome.
People tell lies for the littlest things, but that doesn’t mean you assault them. And if you think it is ok to punch people in the face, then there is something very wrong with you, WHETHER YOU ARE A CYCLIST OR NOT!— Airzound
Comprehension fail on your part. Read my post again numbnutz and you will see I don’t write that it is justified following some one home then lumping them one. Although for a cyclist to have done this the moton must have done something very very bad and continued to do so.
Airzound wrote: Although for
Well, not necessarily. Given we know nothing of the temperament and character of the thumper. They might just have a very short fuse.
This sort of reaction always happens though. Look at the reaction from (too many – indeed, unnervingly many!) women when Lorena Bobbit carried out her personal act of vengeance. If a group feels put-upon by another group, they are likely to react with entirely inappropriate cheering when someone “strikes back”, even if there’s no reason to believe the particular case in question is actually justified. Its a kind of scape-goating, really, and not, in reality, fair.
Airzound wrote:
Comprehension
So now you choose to call me names. Well done! You must be a very special person! No wonder people dont like cyclists, especially if they have an attitude like yours! Name calling, what next? Insult my family perhaps, that might make you feel big and special.
By the way, you dont justify it, yet you attempt to justify it by presuming the motorist “must have done something very bad and continued to do so”! Or perhaps the cyclist was just a bully and an idiot?
The war on cyclists
The war on cyclists continues, didn’t you know motorists can do as they wish?
On Wednesday I was riding
On Wednesday I was riding along the Uxbridge Road into West Ealing. It’s a stretch of road where cars park during the evening to visit the swathe of Persian restaurants. At places there are pinch points (central traffic islands, bus stops etc) so I pull out wide to control the road and avoid the opening car doors of diners intent on stuffing their faces.
A car sits on my tail for 40 metres flashing its lights to get me to pull over and as it passes the driver stares at me disapprovingly. I must have been having a bad day because as I saw the car slow at a red light I pulled up alongside and swore at the driver in front of his elderly parents for a good 30 metres before turning left into my road. I’m not particularly proud of my actions but I’m sure he’ll think twice before acting in such an aggressive manner in future. Just because he has a metal box around him doesn’t make him invincible.
(No subject)
=D>
only two time i get beeps
only two time i get beeps from drivers when cycling, first i have moved over, waved them through, etc. Tends to be short distinct, alternative is the use of hazards or indicators quite clear it means thanks.
The other is when directly behind and means get the f*** out of my way.
…
Is it right to punch a driver, of course not, if you have just been almost run off the road, the adrenaline is flowing, you know that no one gives a s*** what happens?
Solution?
Proper punishment and enforcement of driving laws for a start. Respect from drivers and no punishment passes, abuse etc.
Have to wonder how you narrowly miss someone in a lay-by… that must have been an impressive bit of crap driving!
mrmo wrote:only two time i
Oh dear…why did you move over? You are under no obligation too.
I’m sure you will try and tell me some reason for doing so though.
And as for the rest of what you typed, the less said about that better.
I appreciate there are times
I appreciate there are times when the red mist comes down, but there’s really no justification for punching out a driver. The cyclist was lucky not to get more than a caution. The cops may not be too good at following up on incidents that happen on the road, but vigilante behaviour cannot be tolerated either. It’s a cliché but two wrongs don’t make a right.
Oh, and I had a punishment pass this morning as me and my son cycled to his football training. My son was on the pavement but I was on the road, taking the lane as there were a lot of cars parked. A guy in a silver Merc seemed to think he was within his rights to roar past at speed, leaving about 30cm between his car and the end of my bars. If I’d carried on that road I’d have caught him at the lights as there’s always a tailback. But the thing is, it’s not worth shouting at people like that. They’ll still be d*cks whether you swear or land a punch on them.
Take the registration number and report it to the cops, then swallow it down and move on.
How did the cyclist find out
How did the cyclist find out where the driver lives ?
On one occasion, a 51-year
I don’t condone violence but boy how I understand what he’s done.
Sounds like some drivers got
Sounds like some drivers got their comeuppance
Funny how many drivers, when
Funny how many drivers, when caught and confronted use the “I was using my horn to let you know I was there” line.
I was dangerously tailgated by a driver who then leaned on his horn as he close passed me. I’m afraid I followed him and confronted him (pretty stupid as a lone woman) and he used this line.
Well do you know what? I already knew he was two inches off my rear wheel before he leaned on his horn.
Even the Daily Mail
Even the Daily Mail recognises that something is rotten in the state of Denmark when it comes to plod investigating driver vs cyclist “accidents”
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2583277/Widows-fury-police-said-husbands-cycling-death-accident-just-15-MINUTES-investigation.html
Come to that, even Kent police recognise it….
“He said he hooted his horn
“He said he hooted his horn to let the riders know that he was about to pass.”
I can’t remember exactly where this is in the Highway Code but I do remember my driving instuctor commenting on good use of the horn as I overtook other cars. Or…
don simon wrote:”He said he
I just came back from several days in France and they do actually hoot to warn you they are passing … the people I was with kept panicking though thinking they were about to get run over, no matter how many times I told them that this was just how motorists behave in rural Normandy. I wish our lot would learn to drive as considerately … 300 miles and one vaguely close pass in total.
Difficult one. The horn ought
Difficult one. The horn ought to be used to alert people to possible danger but is mostly used nowadays to indicate annoyance. I remember last year I was driving and I spotted that a sportive was coming the other way. Along that road I knew well there was a narrow downhill section with bends (fantastic fun on a bike but beware) which I would be going up. So naturally I drove slowly up there and used my horn before bends to alert any possible oncoming cyclists. Also naturally my proper use of the horn got me dirty looks from some riders. I’d rather have a dirty look than cause an accident.
Anyway, cyclists getting a rep for going around beating people up who may or may not have done something wrong is not going to be good. I can understand it given the behaviour of some drivers and the inaction of the police/CPS, but if you apply Hanlon’s razor to these interactions (do not attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity) then that helps to calm down and think rationally.
That said, if a tradesman’s van menaces a group of us and the police decline to do anything, I’m quite happy to phone up HMRC and claim that they quoted me 20% less “if I’d pay cash”.
“naturally I drove slowly up
“naturally I drove slowly up there and used my horn before bends to alert any possible oncoming cyclists. Also naturally my proper use of the horn got me dirty looks from some riders. I’d rather have a dirty look than cause an accident.”
Hopefully you didn’t get too many dirty looks — the motorbikes, team cars and race official cars in pro races use their horns all the time, but you can kind of tell that it’s a “Beep Beep coming through!” rather than a “Blaarrrgh GET OUT OF MY WAY” type noise.
Maybe the dirty looks were actually just strangely contorted faces caused by riding extra hard to catch the person in front 🙂
Sounds like some duff
Sounds like some duff driving.
I think that many of us agree
I think that many of us agree that you shouldn’t go round thumping people, most of the time the people doing the thumping are a**holes. It can get you a criminal record and generally the person doing the thumping looks like an idiot for doing it.
But that doesn’t mean that some people don’t deserve a punch in the face, and we understand why someone did it in this case. Revenge is sweet as they say.
Justice should:
Compensate the victim.
Punish the criminal.
Teach the criminal the error of their ways.
Act as a deterrent.
Our justice system clearly isn’t doing that for cyclists right now.
http://road.cc/content/news/1
http://road.cc/content/news/118538-help-police-catch-driver-someone-killed-link-video
please do not comment on this directly
https://twitter.com/CycleHatred
If your of an easily offended nature do not click on this, and if in possession of firearms DO NOT CLICK ON IT!!!!
This i think underlines the problem, drivers believe they can get away with it. Cyclists believe drivers will get away with it.
What options are there?
I don’t think there are many
I don’t think there are many folk pit there that would follow a person hone to simply wallop them … I’m sure there is far more to this than the published accounts.
I think the lesson however should be a reminder that following someone home, no matter how noble your intentions may be, puts you into a n indefensible position. Best avoided.
Obviously, thumping someone
Obviously, thumping someone isn’t a good answer. Its only going to work if you are bigger than they are, for one thing (there might be moral issues involved as well!).
Its just that, if this were treated in the same way motorist behaviour was, all we’d hear on every forum (including motoring ones) would be token disapproval of the thumper at most, with people quickly moving on to what the motorist did wrong in order to ‘make himself a victim’;
Plus lots of slightly patronising and point-missing advice as to how to keep safe by not upsetting fist-users or getting in the way of fast-moving fists. The primary responsibility for not getting punched in the face lies with the owner of the face, they would inform us.
A lot of angry people on here
A lot of angry people on here – punching or abusing a driver is not right, good or going to help cyclists. At the very best it may make someone a bit cautious but stories like this one do no end of harm to our image.
As most sensible people on here realise, life is not fair, not even but the way to make it better is to work with the authorities – it takes a lot longer than punching someone, is more frustrating and has probably an equal number of setbacks but in the end is more likely to get things done and a safer road for us all to use.
By the way – 70 million people in the UK, archaic overcrowded road system means that we have to cooperate for success, competition will end in failure.
i sympathise but frankly if i
i sympathise but frankly if i hit everyone who spat at me, honked their horn, bumped me with a mirror, tailgated me or just decided to shout abuse, or the guy who car doored me or the one who broke my wrist ..id be spending a lot of time in the nick….
What we should do is start our own religion and turn the other cheek…hm How about the Church of Sir Bradley Wiggins…??
it worked for Jesus.. who needs Romans and a cross when you can be laminated to an HGVs Bonnet.
I had a woman beep a few
I had a woman beep a few times and then wave and shout at me to get out of the way the other day in the town centre. Loads of traffic and red lights. The best thing is to wave at them, like you know them and smile. They seem to shut up then.
One side of the story here, we’ll not know what happened, but nothing, absolutely nothing, justifies riding after someone in their house and hitting them.
I love it when people beep
I love it when people beep the horn at me, my first reaction is to acknowledge that they have my attention by turning my head and looking at them. The second action is totally involuntary as I’m no Pendlton or Hoy on the track, that is to drift into the middle of the lane. The third action is to slow down as I’m now focussed on the car behind.
And there they are held until I get bored or neck ache! Maybe just once maybe they’d realise that holding back for a few seconds and passing safely is better.
It doesn’t mention (as far as
It doesn’t mention (as far as I can see) the age of the driver. The cyclist was 51, so I’m presuming was a (hardman) with many years of cycling under his belt…and most likely felt justified in his actions…maybe one too many similar incidents and he snapped…
He must have been a really slow driver/fast cyclist…or was stupid to have honked his horn too close to home…
either way it’s not ‘correct’ or ‘championing the cause of all cyclists’ in what the cyclist did…
it’s all a case of he said/she said…no coroborative evidence provided…
as a cyclist AND driver…i’ve often felt the urge to run other road users off the tarmac (justifiable/not justifiable) or punch them about the head/body…I haven’t actually done it…but I may just snap one day… surely most have felt the same urge…
As many have noted, we don’t
As many have noted, we don’t know the full facts here. But to follow someone home and attack them is absolutely wrong and can only only serve to make things worse for the rest of us.
Duncann wrote:As many have
I agree entirely with the first part, but that last sub-clause makes me grind my teeth a bit. You are never going to get every single person on a bike to behave perfectly, people need to give up that notion. Colluding with and internalising irrational group-blaming is never, ever going to work – rather the idea needs to be treated with the derision it deserves.
(See the thread here about the baseball cap-wearing youth on the ultra-expensive stolen bike ON THE PAVEMENT – that’s the kind of annoying scrote pavement racer I see all the time. Does anyone think someone like that is going to worry about ‘damaging cyclists image’ or that there’s any hope of changing their ways by agonising about ‘earning respect’ as a collective?)
Simple fact, policing only
Simple fact, policing only works if people accept the legal system. There can never be enough police to stop every action if the population decides to ignore the law on mass.
Motoring offences are crimes, but a huge proportion of the population doesn’t see it that way, the legal system doesn’t see it that way. If groups affected by motoring offences give up believing the legal system will help them, there is only one logical conclusion and that is vigilantism. No it doesn’t make it right, but if there is no functioning system of protection then one will be created.