The inevitable

[Suff]

Well it had to happen really. I was filtering down Qeensferry Road when the car on the inside, oblivious, pulled over by six inches. I had a problem. He was going to have to stop, I could see that and I was moving at almost the same speed as the outside lane. If I stopped I would be at risk of anyone behind me who was not being careful.

So I slowed a bit and made sure I was as far away from him, without hitting the outside car, as I could.

He duly stopped. But just before he stopped he pulled his car another six inches over to the white line. Effectively pinching me in the middle of the traffic.

I had no choice, I hit his mirror with mine. Light touch really at about 15mph. My mirror casing is held on by spring clips, is 15 years old and falls off at a touch. His car is new and the flimsy plastic cover on the outside of his mirror pinged off. Glass untouched, but the plastic cover, made of unobtanium and probably costs £50 pinged right off.

I stopped and at the, quite literal, ranting of the driver realised that I'd have to pull over before he called the police and I was arrested for leaving the scene of an accident. He pulled to the curb and I pulled in front.

He was ranting about "weaving through the traffic" and he was within the lines so anything he did was safe.

I'm sure WM will recognise the sentiment of this article by Sgt Mick Cheeseman of the Met.

The guy demanded to take a picture of my number plate. No issue. wanted my name. No issue. My insurance company. No issue. Got a bit disgruntled when I told him he didn't know the road law, was oblivious to other road users and was not in control of his vehicle so my insurance certainly wouldn't pay.

The reality? I had been doing 20mph - 25mph down a 40mph road with traffic ranging from 10mph - 20mph. The reason I heard him ranting? I stopped 2 feet past his wing mirror and I was half way down his car when he pulled over on me. When I pinged his mirror cover off, it landed "in front" of the bike. How do I know this? Well, because when I realised that he was going off his trolley, I pulled forward and to the side of the road and the two horrible crunching noises were my bike tyres totally destroying the brittle piece of unobtanium plastic.

Had he been even half way reasonable I'd have put the bike on it's stand, braved the moving traffic, picked up his cover (I saw it hit the road in front of me) and given it back to him intact.

I'm sure that there are may varied opinions on this here. But my view on this is that he is a death or maiming of a cyclist or motorcyclist waiting to happen. The cycles come down the middle there at 30mph, sometimes I can't follow them.

Will it stop me filtering? No, not really. Will it make me more careful? Perhaps, sometimes I'm a little aggressive but not as aggressive as I see every day. But in terms of being careful I am never beyond my ability to recover. The bike weighs 500lbs and makes a very good defence against manic drivers.

[tonicha]

There are some people Suff, who should not be allowed on the road - their attitude towards bikes stinks

Many years ago, my then boyfriend and I, on his Tiger Cub, hit a dog, in the middle of the countryside, no steetlights.

We both slid a few feet - well, okay, a little ,ore - down the hill and the only person to stop asked if the dog was okay.

Don't know, we said, think it's dead, so she drove off leaving us there,m blood dripping from numerous cuts ads scrapes

The dog had escaped his owner, was deaf mostly blind and just wanted a run - so sad to end that way.

[Workingman]

Been there, done that, worn the T shirt.

I am not, even for a second, going to say that bikers are blameless, but car drivers do need to be more aware of other roads users, inc pedestrians, as the Highway Code suggests.

Sitting in a steel box with the radio/CD/Satnav on cuts out the real world and is far safer (for the car driver) than riding a bike, but, hey, that's life - or death.

[Suff]

Yeah I know. The attitude really sucked. You're wrong because I was stopped, in my lane and you hit me and I know the highway code because I passed a test and it doesn't matter what I was doing you are wrong.

I expect a fairly short tussle over this one with the insurance.

The woman who was in the car with him said to me "see you know you're in the wrong because you're not even taking pictures".

My response was "I know my insurance won't entertain this and I don't need to take any".

Ah well if work was boring then it might spice life up. Instead my boss and his boss were removed from my line management and I got new management of Yesterday...

Life is exciting enough.

[molly]

Hi Suff, glad you weren't hurt. It could have been so much worse, it is such a busy road.

Job going well then?

[Suff]

Job going well then?

Ah the job.... What could I expect. 21 years away, nothing ever changes...

[meriad]

Suff, have you got a helmet cam - may be an idea in investing in one of those because then any insurance would have the back up they need?

Admittedly I'm on the other side of this one - the road I drive to work is a very narrow country road with lots of pot holes and there have been times when a bike overtakes just as I'm about to try and avoid a pot hole and end up going right through it.

Different on 'normal' roads but even then there have been many a time when all of a sudden a bike has past me that I hadn't even realised was there because I was concentrating on the jam / drivers ahead of me trying to keep my safe distance from them. Needs to be added that I do tend to stick to my lane and do check my mirrors before I pull out

[Suff]

Ria I'm never going to defend those idiots who suddenly appear behind you, blast past you and skim your car so you can't move. Other road users need the same respect as I expect for myself and I try to give that at every turn. If I see a pot hole (I'm always looking for them on a bike) I won't push a car through it. That's just bad manners.

I've been mulling a helmet cam for a while now. Probably this will be the impetus to get one. When I see what some people do on the roads, it's worth recording. However the cost is not insubstantial for a good one so I'm going to have a good search before buying.

I tend to go into mind wipe mode when in slow moving traffic. But I keep an eye on my mirrors because I know that bikes filter.

I'm beginning to wonder if this guy was so spitting mad and ranting about the fact that whatever he does between his white line and the kerb is OK so long as he does not go over the line and bother cars/buses/trucks, was because he was deliberately trying to block me and his car was damaged....

The more I think about it the more I come to the conclusion. In which case he was breaking the law and driving without due care and attention. I'm going to wait for his insurance claim, get his details then make a formal complaint to the police. Hopefully that will shut him up.

This morning I was filtering on the A90 heading down to Cramond Brig when I noticed a police traffic car in the outside lane. As soon as he saw me he moved over to give me more room.

Need I say more???

[molly]

He duly stopped. But just before he stopped he pulled his car another six inches over to the white line. Effectively pinching me in the middle of the traffic.



He was ranting about "weaving through the traffic" and he was within the lines so anything he did was safe.

I did wonder if he had done it on purpose when I read that.

Just had a look at hemet cams………expensive!!

I am thinking of buying one for my car, there are just so many idiots on the road that I think it may be a sensible purchase. I have found one that has excellent reviews and costs less than £20……might be worth a try for me, won't fit on your helmet though.

[meriad]

I'm beginning to wonder if this guy was so spitting mad and ranting about the fact that whatever he does between his white line and the kerb is OK so long as he does not go over the line and bother cars/buses/trucks, was because he was deliberately trying to block me and his car was damaged....

The more I think about it the more I come to the conclusion. In which case he was breaking the law and driving without due care and attention. I'm going to wait for his insurance claim, get his details then make a formal complaint to the police. Hopefully that will shut him up.

Sadly there are enough people on the road to get annoyed at being stuck in traffic queues and then deliberately cut off anyone that passes, even if it's a legal pass on a motor bike. Admittedly it's a pet hate of mine when cars come alongside and try and push in because they don't want to join the end of the queue and that's when I get stubborn as hell, but a passing motorbike shouldn't be an issue.

it will be interesting to see if he ever does contact his insurance because realistically I'd have thought the wing mirror would be less than the excess of most policies?

This morning I was filtering on the A90 heading down to Cramond Brig when I noticed a police traffic car in the outside lane. As soon as he saw me he moved over to give me more room.

If I see a bike coming up behind me, I do exactly that.... and then get very jealous that they can go faster than me