but the best remedy would be to get a new rim, get the frame alignment checked and move on.

Why?

police, insurance companies and solicitors.

I’d have to have a long hard think before bringing myself to deal with any of these when there wasn’t much to be gained. Probably cost you more in time and phone calls than you’ll eventually claim.

So you’d let a bloke go, him knowing he ‘sorted out’ a cyclist. In essence he was in the right as no one has ‘done him. Why not go the full hog and reward his bad behaviour with a bottle of Champers?

Harsh but I’d look for bloody justice. Principle.

hora – Member
So you’d let a bloke go, him knowing he ‘sorted out’ a cyclist

Is this aimed at me? Well, no. I’m saying that if you’ve had a close call from a passing vehicle, just let it go.

I know, as I said, that this is with hindsight, but if it HAD been let go, none of the subsequent stuff would have happened. The cretin in the van would have gone on to be a cretin somewhere else and the thread poster would have gone on to have a better day with a non-damaged bike.

Rocking up in front of the van after inadvisable verbals was arguably, er, inadvisable as well.

Just saying, like,

It was in response to oliverd1981.

Intentionally driving into someone should be treated as a very serious offence.

Harsh but I’d look for bloody justice. Principle.

Unfortunately, it’s called the legal system, not the justice system.

Being allowed to ram the guys van with a monster truck isn’t gonna happen.

In fact I suspect very little will happen, and it’ll happen slowly. The last thing the OP deserves is that kind of aggravation.

Interesting alternative oliver, you really are full of workable ideas 🙄

So if this van driver gets points which impacts onto his insurance and stays on his licence for upto 5yrs you wouldn’t be all for that?

Bikeline won’t help. It wasn’t an accident. I tried them.

They wouldn’t pursue the civil bit against his insurers? Very strange -can’t see how whether or not it was deliberate makes any difference to that (it’s not like it makes any difference to the liability). I suspect there’s something else you’re not telling us.

So if this van driver gets points which impacts onto his insurance and stays on his licence for upto 5yrs you wouldn’t be all for that?

I suppose it’s as good as he can hope for, but once the statements are in I guess that’s in the hands of the Police. I hope they give the OP the satisfaction of knowing they’ve given him a motoring conviction. To be fair this is cheap and easy for them to impose so isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

I was more concerned about the cost/benefit of pursuing damages.

I got properly cut up this morning by a fella pulling out of a side road into my path quite deliberately – I was doing over 30mph and we had a little chat for a while. He then tried to swerve through me to take me out. A motorcyclist was just sitting behind watching and when the fella suddenly dived off to the right to try and escape he slowed down and waved me through protecting me from the cars coming up from behind to let me after him. Whilst the fella was sat at the lights I opened the rear near side door and emptied all his shopping into the road. Oh, and then I left. Quite quickly. Nearly got a PB for the commute too. Bollocks.
I’ve reported numerous of these kinds of things and nothing ever comes of it so sometimes I find other quiet non intrusive ways of making my displeasure known.

I opened the rear near side door and emptied all his shopping into the road

love it, you get my **medal** of the week.
sometimes just slowing them down a bit is win enough.
you might want to change your commute route for a couple of weeks though…

Intentionally driving into someone should be treated as a very serious offence.

Indeed it should, and certainly the OP’s version of events is likely to be viewed dimly by the courts if corroborated etc.

The problem may be that the driver’s version of events is different, e.g. “I just over took this guy, next thing he sneaks up the inside getting all aggressive, and as he intimidated me my foot came off the clutch and my van lurched forward. I got out to check he was OK but he was hysterical and I tried to calm him down, but he seemed to think I was hitting him…”

The problem may be that the driver’s version of events is different,

But the OP has witnesses 😀

+1 for the monster truck justice option!

But seriously O.P. get a solicitor to rinse the van driver for everything you can and harrass the police to pursue prosecuting him and getting him banned. The passivist (lazy) approach leaves him thinking he’s perfectly in the right driving like a d ckhead and then assaulting other road users for pointing it out..

I had a similar incident a while back
Me and a driver had words he then ran into back of me and wrote off the back wheel, he then drove off.
Had witnesses, police were interested but ran into the problem of vehicle keeper not giving up the drivers details.
Home insurance sorted my wheel out but didn’t chase the driver/keeper, I was told “this is home insurance we make sure you are sorted not chase down the other party” plus presumably not cost effective to chase for a small sum.
Keeper of vehicle got a fine and points for letting someone drive their motor without proper insurance (the most police/cps could do)

driver got away free 🙁

hope you have better luck (not that my experience was so bad, insurance were pretty cool, but driver getting away with it does annoy)

Keeper of vehicle got a fine and points

But whose to say the driver wasn’t the keeper and the reg keeper was hoping to ‘get off’ by saying it wasn’t him/themself?

Points/fine was justice. Especially if the insurer asks at renewal HOW the points occurred.

That was the size of it aracer. Not an accident. No further interest.

But whose to say the driver wasn’t the keeper and the reg keeper was hoping to ‘get off’ by saying it wasn’t him/themself?

well the driver was an asian man the registered keeper was a lady with a quite english sounding name, so I’m guessing not the same person.

edit points/fine (not much of either) is justice for a minor traffic infringment (or letting someone drive your car without insurance), intentionally running your 2tone hummer into a cyclist should rank something a bit higher in the justice stakes I feel.

police were interested but ran into the problem of vehicle keeper not giving up the drivers details.

Obviously not that interested then.

Well given a detailed statement tonight. Plod does their best to put you off proceeding with this malarkey. Got to station 10minutes early to discover there is no front desk since April. Proceeded to wait outside in the rain whilst they got ready for me for 50minutes. They really know how to look after the public.

Anyway I’m now waiting to see what charges they deem suitable to bring forward.

Bike is in the shop, hopefully back commuting next monday.

I’ll keep you all posted how it goes.

Might need some of my pent up rage to see this through, then for all the concerned bods I’ll book myself into a Buddhist retreat!

aP – that rules, I can recommend taking car keys though don’t panic and throw them back in the car when you realise what you’ve done!

Peaceout

Steve

I like operation ‘shopping freedom’ but my favourite is a ‘coke grenade’.Shake a can of coke vigorously,pull the pin(ring)pull and lob through the window…..instant justice.

Bike is in the shop, hopefully back commuting next monday.

Might be a good idea to wear a different jacket, as psycho trannie driver, may well be looking out for you.

project

Hadn’t thought of that…

I was going to say no-one is that stupid, however he has driven a van at me so I won’t give him the benefit of intellect.

I’ll stretch my legs on a longer commute home for a few weeks.

Hadn’t thought of that…

I was going to say no-one is that stupid, however he has driven a van at me so I won’t give him the benefit of intellect.

It’s another reason why the people saying “let it go” have a point. Yes, I’d love to see justice done and I hope you win through but this is a regular commute – chances are you’ll see him again.

On my old commute (on quieter roads in a smaller town than I’m on now) I would recognise at least 10% of cars. Even now in south Manchester I see a few of the same vehicles on a regular basis. I even know a couple of the bus drivers by sight.

Be careful out there, don’t give the guy a second chance to prove his bellend-ery