Cycling down the road last night I was in primary position coming up to a crossing island with parked cars just beyond it. Suddenly a van speeds past 2 inches away, cutting in front to avoid the island.
I thumped the side of his van, partly instinctive "fending off" partly angry, yes I know I probably shouldn't have. Anyway, he stops, we both get out/off and he has a good long sweary screaming match threatening to beat me up etc etc... I stayed calm.
He drove off with the final words "*ing Jewish *"
Lovely guy 🙂
This was a company van, he clearly saw me recording the whole thing and didn't care, he even mentioned the company name on camera to be sure.
The video of the whole thing is going to the police today no question about that!
Anyway: Would you report this to the company as well? I want this guy to get caught but don't want to go overkill on a petty revenge spree (however fun that might be 😉 )
WWSTWD?
Big company? yes for sure. Small local company? No, just the police.
definitely report to the company - they have a duty of care to their employees and if they know the guy has a problem with anger management, they might offer him counselling and retraining. 😉
I would send to the company.
Do some research first though to make sure it isn't just a one man band.
There's no such thing as overkill in a situation like this.
Go full on ****in Von Clausewitz on them.
So proud of myself for finding the vid I wanted AND posting it on STW first time. I should get a job in IT.
Oh, I do work in IT , 🙂
No question, report him to the company. C###'s like that need to face the consequences of their rage.
Next time it could be a child cycling to school who goes under the wheels of the van, and it's doubtful he'd stop.
I'll get the gun...
Big company? yes for sure. Small local company? No, just the police.
Commercial refrigeration etc across the NW, at least 6 vans, turnover probably close to 1 million.
Based in irlam?
If so yeah and deffo send to police
Report it to the company.
If they have any sense, they'll sort him.
If they don't and he then goes and maims someone, there's a good chance they could end up liable for allowing him to continue to drive their vehicle.
There's every chance his van has a tracker in it.
Report it and send them a copy of your footage. If it was one of our vans I'd want to know.
Yes report the bloke I have done it a few times but sadly never had a camera to back up my claims.. Could have killed you then potentially racist too (unsure how he knew you was jewish?) sounds like a lovely bloke.
The video of the whole thing is going to the police today no question about that!
Anyway: Would you report this to the company as well? I want this guy to get caught but don’t want to go overkill on a petty revenge spree (however fun that might be 😉 )
WWSTWD?
I wouldn't report to the company unless for some reason you get nowhere with the police (I'd expect on your version of events they will treat quite seriously not so much for the bad overtake but the stop and argue (round here the road policing unit really don't like that) and then even if you were as guilty as the other they'll not like the religious aggravation.
Alerting the company just gives him a chance to get his story straight before the police turn up, so I'd let him incriminate himself first.
Absolutely report it to the company, regardless of their size. If they don't take action then possibly size comes into it if your thinking about posting it on social media.
Based in irlam?
No. Got a grudge against someone? 😉
Based quite a distance away from me unfortunately - I was buying sausages today anyway.
Whats the company called? Have you got a link to the video? Can it be tweeted to the company so we can all see?😉
I thumped the side of his van, partly instinctive “fending off” partly angry, yes I know I probably shouldn’t have.
I think what you meant to say was the van came so close I felt an instinct to fend it off as I was scared, and did so loudly to ensure the driver was alerted to my presence.
unsure how he knew you was jewish?
Yarmulke cycle helmet.
Dead giveaway
I'd report it to the company.
Just thought - the police will probably have to go through the company anyway to find out who he is.
Want to make sure he's dealt with but there's no point going for the company on social media.
Good points poly.
Phone the company - that's what I've done in the past. It's nice to hear an apology over the phone.
I wouldn't want someone to lose their job just for driving like a **** (there's millions of em out there), so police would be if the company didn't respond correctly.
(unsure how he knew you was jewish?)
That was my 1st thought as well .... maybe his man bits were hanging out of the bottom of his cycle shorts ... impressive if it was 🙂
Definitely report him to both ... he doesn't deserve to have a job!!
I thumped the side of his van, partly instinctive “fending off” partly angry, yes I know I probably shouldn’t have.
I think what you meant to say was the van came so close I felt an instinct to fend it off as I was scared, and did so loudly to ensure the driver was alerted to my presence.
The van's proximity caused me a momentary loss of composure.
Depends how incriminating your footage is but as someone else mentioned above, if you go to the company first then it just gives him a chance to weave a counter-story before the police look into it.
Police first, especially if you have;
“*ing Jewish *”
on film because they will take stuff like that very seriously.
Definitely another story to add to the "everyone commuting by bicycle needs a camera" pile.
Police and the company, it's only right to let them know you have reported to the police.
3.5 tonner (regular license)? get him sacked and let his job go to someone that is capable of driving without killing people.
Bigger license and you're likely hurting the company more than him, so they'd sweep it under the rug.
Police first, for the racist aspect.
Whats the company called? Have you got a link to the video? Can it be tweeted to the company so we can all see?😉
As tempting as it is to watch the offending er, offender, when I've uploaded a couple of dashcam clips to Cheshire Police the instructions say not to share it just in case it goes to court. Here's one that's over a year old now, so outside their instruction for your enjoyment.
I called a large development company when one of their 32 tonne 8 wheelers came within 30 cm of my 11yo son riding on a residential road. I got through to the transport manager and she looked up the truck's tracker whilst I was on the phone and gave me a wholehearted reassurance that it would be taken up with the driver. It is worth reporting.
I wouldn’t want someone to lose their job just for driving like a **** (there’s millions of em out there), so police would be if the company didn’t respond correctly.
Granted life for most is pretty stressful these days and who know what's going on in this persons life for them to react that way, but if the roads are safer with him not on it then he shouldn't be doing a driving job.
this is in danger of getting extremely hypothetical but at what point do you draw the line. does someone has to be killed before they lose their driving job? 🤷♂️
Let us know what the po-po have to say.
I wonder whether they might see the initial driving offence in a different light once they are aware of the hate speech aspect?
Did he do such a close pass because he thought you were Jewish?
"Jewish ****"
What the hell, we truly are doomed to learn nothing from history aren't we?
I was buying sausages today anyway.
Then you already know what needs to be done 😉
The racial aspect is a hate crime. If you have footage then that's evidence.
Go straight to the police.
He'll be dealt with accordingly.
If he could get punished for the driving/abuse, learn the error of his ways (wishful thinking) and keep his job then that would be the ideal outcome IMO. Could be he's an expert aircon mechanic or something, don't see why he should lose his job for something unrelated. Maybe get someone else to drive him around!
I wonder whether they might see the initial driving offence in a different light once they are aware of the hate speech aspect?
Did he do such a close pass because he thought you were Jewish?
No I don't think so. Not connected at all. Just an extra thing to throw in at the end. Maybe it wound him up more to see me when we stopped if he has a thing about Jews, who knows.
I’m a professional driver (coaches)
Please report it.
Driving in a decent, safe manner is really not that difficult.
As for bringing religion into it, WTF?
Completely Unacceptable.
No I don’t think so. Not connected at all. Just an extra thing to throw in at the end. Maybe it wound him up more to see me when we stopped if he has a thing about Jews, who knows.
I realised it was highly unlikley to be the case, but it's something they'll have to consider, and it should hopefully lead to some very awkward questions being asked of him.
Would it be appropriate to ask whether you are Jewish? If you are not, I'm not sure how the police would actually handle misdirected hate speech.
I wouldn’t want someone to lose their job just for driving like a ****
If their job is to drive and they were dangerous they need to find another job.
But more importantly, regardless of his poor standard of driving, i would be reporting him for threatening and racist language. If he loses his job just before Christmas, tough titty. He may learn to not be a xxxx in future.
I have to say I'm with tpbiker here. He's in charge of a potentially lethal weapon there if he so chooses. Add in the anti-Semitic element and I wouldn't lose too much sleep if he had to suffer the consequences.
Most of us have had utterly crap days over the last year but we don't go around behaving like that. There simply isn't any valid excuse.
Merak
The racial aspect is a hate crime. If you have footage then that’s evidence.
Go straight to the police.
He’ll be dealt with accordingly.
agree with this, definitely.
If their job is to drive and they were dangerous they need to find another job
Agree with this too. Dunno what I was going on about in my original post. I'm really not that nice normally.
Definitely report it to the employer.
I reported a close pass to a local haulage company and got a very quick and apologetic response, seemed like they really did care about it.
Don't know if the fella still had a job but at very least it'll be on his record.
If he could get punished for the driving/abuse, learn the error of his ways (wishful thinking) and keep his job then that would be the ideal outcome IMO. Could be he’s an expert aircon mechanic or something, don’t see why he should lose his job for something unrelated. Maybe get someone else to drive him around!
if he’s behind the wheel in a company vehicle then that’s the job as much as anything else he’s paid to do.
as an employer you can’t really turn a blind eye to someone being a danger to the public just because he’s quite good at other things.
He’s made the choice to behave in a way that compromises his job (and let’s face it compromises plenty of things - he’s willingly given you and the police the grounds for a criminal conviction)
He’s an adult, he’s made his own choices.
Yes, report to company after police.
About 2 weeks ago on A46 bypass around Lincoln two vans of transit size from same company chasing each other, weaving in and out of traffic, generally driving dangerously.
Got the registrations, called company and was put through to transport manager who listened but wasn't apologetic; I said I would prefer him to deal with this direct without me involving police; he thought call had ended but I could hear him as he swore about me to someone else.
Next day, I called their MD to tell him what had happened; made a formal complaint and left him in n o doubt that my next call would be to police.
Electrical contractors based in Leicester and Nottigham.
Sorry but report it to the Police only.
Never mind a cursory telling off from his boss, that's just a heads up and sharing it with any other parties/Social meeja might undermine any follow on action...
someone being a "bad driver" is one thing, but the ones that stop and get out for further interactions whether to hurl racial/religious abuse or get physical, deserve no quarter (IMO)…
Otherwise what's the point of recording the incident?
Send it straight to the Rozzers.
The anti-semitic stuff means you should take it straight to the cops IMO. Don't even bother with the firm.
Don't report it to the company until the police have decided what to do with it.
If the police decide to do nothing then I wouldn't even bother going to the company, I would just put it straight on Youtube and make sure the various anti-racism groups were made aware.
Don't see why this guys future employers shouldn't have a clear picture of who they are hiring.
