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news
A591 near Ambleside (via StreetView).jpgCarlisle cyclist injured after driver knocked him off bike on purpose
A Carlisle man has appealed for witnesses to an alleged incident in which he was deliberately knocked off his bike by a motorist.
Writing on Facebook, Steve Alecock said he “could have been killed” in a confrontation with a motorist in the Lake District in September.
The North-West Evening Mail reports that at around 3pm on September 2, Alecock was riding along the A591 between the Low Wood Hotel and Ambleside when he became embroiled in an argument with a driver.
"I was knocked off my bike... I suffered injuries including a large haematoma on my hip, several chipped teeth, concussion and later shock, resulting in three weeks off work. The driver of a white Volkswagen Transporter 53 plate van got out and deliberately knocked me off."
One witness provided a registration number for the vehicle, but police cannot pursue this further unless additional witnesses come forward.
Alecock said: "This was a horrible incident and had there been anything coming in the other direction I could have been killed."
He added: “There was no excuse for what happened to me really, because he'd got past me and if he'd wanted to he could have just driven off, and he chose not to, he chose confrontation."
Anyone with information can contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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35 comments
...can I get a Dickhead teeshirt, size XL please? I agree with Expat’s view - avoid escalating (I won’t picking) fights that you have no chance of winning and every chance of losing. It’s the same out on the motorway where the odds are at least approaching something like even: I tell myself “you don’t know who they are, or what they’re capable of.” at times of trouble.
The insults Expat has had on here seem to me only serve to reinforce his point.
When I was offed 10 years ago at a roundabout (SMIDYT) the driver got out and was crying at the scene about what she’d done. Within the hour however she was down the police station, lying her head off that I’d gone onto the pavement and hit her side-on. The situation was saved by another driver who stopped and assisted, having seen the whole thing and gave a clear account of what happened. No prosecution, just an insurance claim, which was contested all the way along. Horrid horrid horrid, scummy, scummy scummy. I don’t think I ever thanked the lady who did the right thing. thank-you, lady.
EDIT: here’s my test about confronting/yelling at/giving the finger to motorists when I’m on the bike:
Will my action (or inaction) make this person better now, or towards the next guy (cyclists), or worse?
In my experience the answer, or judgment is that it’s nearly always “worse” if I decide to act. If I do yell or gesticulate, allowing that the subtleties are very likely in any event to get lost in translation, I try to make it “(are we) LOOKING!” when it’s obvious that they’re not, or just “HEY”, or an upturned “what the f*ck?” palm.
The latter is usually reserved for after a close pass where there was no visibility (for me, let alone them) as to oncoming traffic - should they chance to look in the mirrors, if they know where they are, or what they are for. The palm is trying to say “so you either didn’t see me, or you did but decided to go anyway - I wonder which it is - either way, WtF??”
The police in Britain do not give a shit about cyclists. Just another day in the office to them.
Fair do's expat, no sauce but no ride either today. The latest view you expresses at least makes some sense. Your earlier view seemed to make up a story to justify physical assault and the follow up was almost playing "daily mail bingo"...
Many years ago I used to work with a numbskull 'hard man' who beat someone up for looking at him 'funny' as he drove past. These people do exist.
The story is very short on facts, and keeps referring to white van man as 'a driver' when the story suggests that he wasnt in his van at the time of the assault, and nor was the vehicle used as a weapon or involved in any way.
If the injured cyclist also owns a car, he could equally be referred to as a driver. The fact that he was on a bike at the time seems to confer some sort of immunity from reproach according to some of the knee jerk responses above.
And yes, I am assuming that the van driver was provoked. Let's face it, we see it all the time- cyclo warriors generally with a Gopro and a foul mouth when they feel another road user has threatened them. I also see plenty of cases when they dont have the balls to back up their earlier threats and challenges.
Perhaps the van driver was just a psychopath and stopped his van for no reason other than to attack a random cyclist. Yeah right, that happens alot doesnt it?
In my experience it does.
Or some psycho took exeption to a cyclist not using the cycle lane or taking the lane at a tight point. Or the cyclist was nearly taken out and reacted with a perfectly reasonable “oh shit”.
In my experience there are far more drivers on the road who think it’s acceptable to intimidated a cyclist than there are the “cyclo warriors” you claim are everywhere. I get a average of one close pass a day, one or two dangerous passes a month and, I would guess, two psychos a year who intentionally try and intimidate me, and I only cycle about 50 miles a week. Compare this to the 15000 miles I drive a year, where I can think of 4 psychos in the last 10 years. I don’t think i have ever seen a cyclo warrior on the road to be honest, only on YouTube. There are just some people that have a problem with cyclists, and attitudes like yours justifies it to them.
Whatever happened it does not justify the actions of the van driver, and the fact that you are trying to justify it is a disturbing indictment of the way cyclists are seen in the UK.
Where to start with this moronic statement...
How do you know what I see all the time?
Do I need to send my camera back? I thought it was a recording device, not one that defined my actions and behaviours.
Calling someone that has threatened your life a "wanker" is not a threat. Oh and oooooh get you Mr hard man, are the go pro cyco warriors deemed better human beings to you if they were the one who gets off and inflicts physical harm on someone?
It's a strange world you live in, I'd be more than happy not to visit!
I think you have been on the sauce this weekend Mr Smurphy, you should calm down and read the original article, noting that this is about an altercation between two people, irrespective of their mode of transport. I get angry at close passes, and yes I do gesticulate and swear on occasions, but on doing so have to accept the potential consequences. My analogy was that if i was in a pub and told some random bloke that he was a wanker (for whatever reason), that might be deemed provocation for what he would then do to me.
You will not change a driver's attitude by reacting with insults and aggressive gestures. It might feel good (and it does) at the time but we should all accept the risk of someone objecting violently to being called a wanker. It isnt justifying the van driver's attitude, stoopid.
We must have been on the same sauce. Does it make someone think you're a contrary, stereotyping, generalising prick?
Not really
Wellsprop I agree with you up to the point where you state it is unfair to blame the police. They are in a position to campaign for better law and work at educating drivers. They do not.
they prefer to stop cyclists. They prefer to complain at the timewasted having to take your statement when you are run over in broad daylight. They prefer to caution you first, 'in case you did some thing unlawful ' I quote when taking your statement. They tell you regardless that you have been driven over in broad daylight whilst riding around a roundabout that because the driver is old, was tired, they won't proceed with the case.
nope I have no respect for the police, when they respect me I may start to change my views, to me they are as bad as the scum they tell me they have to deal with, so no I don't respect people who support a broken system without complaint.
With the clear evidence of injuries that would be difficult if not impossible to inflict on yourself, what is there to stop reporting the fact that you received these injuries from the driver of said vehicle, and a witness had taken details separately, providing you with the details of that vehicle, which you can I believe include in your report - posted on twitter or other social media?
This may well bring in responses from others who have had similar encounters, or even those who may have witnessed the incident, but not been able to contact you.
A word for those who may come across road rage or other violence being delivered by a driver who has got out of their vehicle. Remove the keys from the ignition (and make the car safe - its illegal to leave a car unattended with the engine running) and place them with the car but in such a place that the driver cannot flee the scene (taking the keys away is theft - and only a last resort). This behaviour in so many road rage incidents is that of a coward.
I hope they have more than one witness in this case
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-42126356
whats the betting the driver is charged with attempted murder. That’s what normally happens if a police officer is hit by a vehicle.
We've all seen/heard of incidents like this before where a police officer has been injured on the job - it's absolutely disgusting that anyone would do that.
What does bother me, however, is, as in previous incidents, it's often treated as attempted murder and (quite rightly) the perpetrator often ends in jail. Why does this bother me? Well, there have been incidents (reported on this site) where someone has been intentionally injured by a motorist, has video evidence to back it up, yet the all the motorist faces is a careless driving charge.
(Or, even better, if the motorist is 80+ and accidentally smashed into a group of cyclist because they aren't fit to be on the road - all they have to do is surrender their license and they get off free).
It rather does scare me that I know if I'm involved in a serious incident unless I stop every person in the vicinity and they are willing to be witnesses (not that one would be capable of that after being run over, for example), that it's unlikely there will be any prosecution - due to the stupid way our laws work.
I also think its VERY unfair to blame the police, the fact is, they are ridiculously stretched and they are only able to bring prosecution if they have absolutely every basis covered due to our legal system.
Only a police officer in uniform or one that identified themselve as one to the suspect before hand.
Expat, you've made up half a story whereby the victim is still the victim...
I frankly do not understand the evidence requirement.
maybe he should have accused the driver of sexual harassment a decade earlier?
if the van driver was a celebrity of some kind for sure a number of other accusations would come out of the woodwork.
my point is that depending on the crime the circumstantial evidence seems enough to work the case and take it to court. Dare I say the use of multiple separate accusations seems to be allowed to.
i don't understand and I feel our society needs to change so criminals like this one gets their just deserts.
Corroboration would clearly help in this case, and i suspect that there is more to this than an entirely unprovoked case of white van man stopping just to thump a cyclist.
Picture this, if you will:
a) Cyclist riding along a country lane maintaining a wide position in the road to prevent close passes.
b) White van man in a hurry to get his next delivery completed, makes a judgement and overtakes the cyclist.
c) Cyclist is outraged as he judges the manoevre to be a close pass (eg less than 2 metres clearance, going by some of the 'close pass' videos we see on this site)
d) cyclist expresses his outrage by waving either one or two fingers, and shouting 'you fucking wanker'. Maybe even waving the wanker sign at white van man.
e) White van man didnt like being called a wanker, so stopped and challenged the now less than confident cyclist, and thumped him. As would happen in a bar or pub as a result of the same degree of aggression
f) Cyclist is outraged that his right to be offensive and aggressive is challenged by someone more offensive and aggressive.
I get very frustrated at close passes, and sometimes fearful for my welfare when a car driver doesnt recognise my presence, but for the same reason i dont pick fights in pubs, i also recognise that provocation or duress are legal definitions that can mitigate someone's desire to thump me harder than i can thump them.
Just saying, that's all.
When someone threatens my safety, it is I who has been provoked, not they. When I get understandably extremely angry and vent off by calling them a wanker, it is I who has been provoked, not the recipient of my ire.
And people who write "just saying" aren't just saying, they're victim blaming.
Poor comparison, in fact one that should not even be made. Remonstrating with someone threatening you with a tonne of metal going 60mph whilst going about your daily business versus picking a fight in a pub.
Unfortunately like you the CPS and our legal system seems to think the two are the same also..... Hence lack of charges, convictions and poor road safety in the UK.
You as a cyclist should be very wary of perpetuating this comparison.
Note has been taken of this assumption. As expat says, before going off on their own assumptions, we seem to be short on facts on this one..
I know that road well, I've driven and ridden it countless times. It's an A-road (not a country lane!) although a very narrow one, barely wide enough for 2 cars. As soon as you get a horse, bicycle, caravan etc on it, it'll back right up. Visibility isn't great, there's a couple of big sweeping bends so overtake opportunities are very limited especially as there's always lots of oncoming traffic.
It's also VERY busy, it's the main road from Windermere to Ambleside so it's busy with regular commuters and also usually loads of tourist traffic, all gawping at Windermere rather than looking where they're going.
None of that is to justify any actions of the motorist but details are pretty sketchy as to exactly what happened and how.
I usually get the ferry across Windermere from Bowness and then ride up the western side of the lake, it's far more pleasant, a lot of it is off-road on proper gravel paths which is lovely (and perfectly doable on a road bike). Does take much longer though!
Just saying you're a dickhead.
Get cameras fitted folks.
Haven't we already established the police don't want to use that evidence either?
Let's face it. Unless your run over in front of a police car with camera on, it appears there is no evidence.
Yep again you need at least one witness but preferably multiple.
Btw don't blame the police blame the CPS.
It’s good to know that if you attack a motorist with your dlock as long as here aren’t two witnesses it’s all fine.
Let's be frank:
If the victim had been assaulted with a knife, the police would be all over it, one witness or not.
If the victim had been assaulted with a gun, the entire force would be on it.
But a car..meh.
If I stabbed you with a knife due to your blood - even if cleaned off - being on the knife, possibly my finger prints being on the knife, and my blood splatter clothing there would be forensic evidence for CPS to use in court.
If I knock you off your bike in my car or physically push you off when on foot, and none of your blood is split over me then there is no forensic evidence for the CPS to use against me.
The CPS has to overcome the defence's arguments of reasonable doubt to get a conviction. The easiest way and best way to secure a conviction that isn't overturned is having witnesses but failing this forensic evidence maybe enough.
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