What to do in the case of an accident (discussion)

thanks Roxy, I thought that was the case - I will wait to see what the Police come up with - I do have a liability policy that will extend to the damage to the car, albeit with a £500 xs

This could be, but hopefully wont be very useful. thanks for sharing the information. i nearly needed it yesterday when a woman accelerated instead of stopping at a stop sign

By way of update, I contacted the solicitors recommended on the CTC website and they agreed to pursue a claim against the driver on my behalf on a contingency basis.

There is a Private Hire taxi around Hackney accusing cyclists of smashing his offside mirror and asking for cash. There is no way any cyclists could do that to van mirror without coming off from the impact. And you'd certainly know about it if you had. Offer to call the Police and he'll drive off.

Grey/Silver Ford Tourneo DV55 AG2 (been reported to PCO)

Hey MJC, I've been hit by a van, it's wing mirror has come off and I stayed on - fuck knows how, guess I was lucky, or it was shafted already.

Does anyone know how to proceed when there is no witness? I got hit by a Royal Mail Arctic - pulled out on me at a junction, clipped my arm and ripped my jacket, driver didn't stop even though I shouted and I saw him look in his morrors. Reported to a police but there were no witnesses, so basically is my word against his. Also spoke to Royal Mail transport manager, who said that he spoke with the driver and he didn't see me????

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks guys.

Excellent thread, thanks for the advice!

I was hit from behind tonight, twice, by a cab. I have the details and I have no idea what to do about it. The thing is that it absolutely was intentional - the fucker was trying to knock me off.

The first time he hit me he almost did knock me off. I couldn't believe it, I was in the middle of the lane following another cab and he just did it out of the blue. I turned around and yelled 'you hit me'; I couldn't think of anything else.

I thought he would back off, and he might have for a moment but then came back on my right side and started to push me over. I realised he was trying hard. I pulled over and he slowed down, and with a smile and a laugh like he's telling a joke he says, 'you're going to get knocked down you silly git (or maybe twat)'. Then he kept moving towards the left where I was. I just stopped and got the fuck behind him.

I wanted to report him because I honestly believe he's trying to hurt a cyclist. The police station was closed and the website is a nightmare trying to figure out how to do anything. Tips? Advice?

Go in to a station and report him. Check out the 1st post on this page for what you'll need.

Cheers Roxy. I'm doing it in the A.M. when the cop shop is open.

I was hit from behind tonight, twice, by a cab. I have the details and I have no idea what to do about it. The thing is that it absolutely was intentional - the fucker was trying to knock me off.

The first time he hit me he almost did knock me off. I couldn't believe it, I was in the middle of the lane following another cab and he just did it out of the blue. I turned around and yelled 'you hit me'; I couldn't think of anything else.

I thought he would back off, and he might have for a moment but then came back on my right side and started to push me over. I realised he was trying hard. I pulled over and he slowed down, and with a smile and a laugh like he's telling a joke he says, 'you're going to get knocked down you silly git (or maybe twat)'. Then he kept moving towards the left where I was. I just stopped and got the fuck behind him.

I wanted to report him because I honestly believe he's trying to hurt a cyclist. The police station was closed and the website is a nightmare trying to figure out how to do anything. Tips? Advice?

It's difficult if you don't have witnesses, but in some cases it may be the case that the same driver's actions may have been reported before, lending credibility to both your report and that by possible other victims. It has to be stressed that deliberate assault by motor vehicle is very rare indeed, and the police do take this seriously if they have evidence to go on.

However, as fortunately you were unharmed, it is unlikely that they'll be able to take much action beyond perhaps paying the driver a visit, so reporting the incident is what you should be happy with doing, and that is what could benefit potential future victims of this driver's aggression.

On a different note, your assumption that the driver was trying to knock you off is probably incorrect. It is much more likely that he wanted to intimidate you. Had he knocked you off, that might have landed him in all sorts of trouble. Instead, he probably knew quite well how far he could go without you suffering bodily harm. But as I said, it is extremely rare that you come across this sort of thing. You can generally assume that people are not trying to knock you off.

Sadly with the amount of aggressive drivers out there, I am thinking more and more that a holstered mini d-lock about your person is a good idea, some people only understand one form of communication.

Nearly everyday someone acts like they are going to run me over just for fun anykind of wepon that isnt going to get me in trouble would be a lot of fun but with the amount of cunts on the road id be quite busy. Cycling in London is depressing.

batesb.a.r, gain some more enjoyment by taking cycle training--if you do that, you'll soon be able to banish such thoughts.

Im not really like that i want peace cant help getting angry at being bullied everyday and wanting to get back at the cunt rather than it making me depressed but really i am worried that they are still on the road.
please tell me how i get enjoyment from cycling round central london everyday.

Cycle training is aimed at enabling you to get rid of that anger by teaching you assertive riding and holding your own in traffic. There are subsidised lessons available in many areas where you may live, work, or study. It really works. It's not meant to say 'you're riding badly right now' but assesses what you do well and what you don't do so well. The outcome is confidence and enjoyment by being in control of what happens around you, and recognising traffic as the social environment that it is. Ring up CTUK on 020 7231 6005 or check out http://www.cycletraining.co.uk/ and ask them what's available for you. Enjoy!

Great thread.

Thank you; great advice

great thread Roxy and Wannabe. Deeply appreciated for the help. I have pdf all the relevant bits.

Some of you know that I've been fighting the man getting them to reopen a pretty f*cked up road rage case.
I thought it might be helpful to outline the stuff that the cops etc have told me in my dealings, as much of the problems regarding the case stem from what happened AFTER the accident/crime and not what happened during.

**I believe that Statute of Limitations for cases is: ****
6 months for Traffic Court
No SoL or One Year for Criminal
no clue about civil

****If you know better can you correct/back up these times? **

Civil claims are quite complicated but are 3 years for negligent & 6 years for deliberate( seperate to a criminal prosecution of course). some cases **may **be extended.
Noted your mention of cops losing documents, Plod didn't even submit my accident report(tho the report number was submited) Still won though without witnesses due to evidence I provided/chased up.
Excellent info/Advice

thanks for the advice guys

Also, if you get into an argument with someone, say for example, a taxi driver who tries to run you off the road, and they spit at you and gob lands on you DON'T wash that item. Get down to the cop shop with it.

Spitting is assualt, and the cops seem to like the chance to use some DNA evidence - easier to prosecute than bad driving without witnesses. Monica Lewinski it!

very helpfull cheers. just got hit by a black cab on my way back home. the driver def saw me, he just decided to continue to drive as if i wasn't on the road. i felt off, few scratches on my bike & scrapped up knee, stood up and asked him to pull over to exchange details, the fuckin twat just drove off. got his plate and licensed plate but i'm afraid that's gonna be another pointless paperwork for police/insurance company. will see. thanks for all those tips.

-Ben; well done on getting the numbers. Def. worth reporting it at the nearest station (they'll ask if there's any CCTV). Figure an hour of your time, tops. The PCO won't do anything if there ain't a criminal record.

The PCO won't do anything if there ain't a criminal record.

Report the incident here: https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/contact/pco/taxi.aspx

Shouldn't take more than ten minutes of your time. Be clear, concise, eloquent and grammatically correct. It may not do anything now but they will have to record all complaints and if the driver develops a history it will have to be taken into consideration if anything more serious happens.

^ Thanks for the clarification. Always worth reporting it to the PCO at the link above, but they need the police record as well to really do something; and anything they have on file may be helpful in the future.