bigboyd937

Today, my friend Michael and i biked over to his daughters daycare and picked her up in his bike carrier. Everything was going fine, we were enjoying this nice sunny day and even his daughter was. We got back into the neighborhoods where we normally bike around, we saw a car approaching from behind so we formed a single file line on the right side of the road near the curb. We ALWAYS do this..and never have any problems with cars passing. SO this car is coming up, and i extend my arm and wave to him saying to go ahead and pass, we know you're there kind of thing. This guy in his zippy little G8 comes within inches of Michael and his carrier, rolls his window down and says "this ain't gonna cut it boys" then accelerates and gets next to me, again within inches and says "you boys need to get off the road, you're in the way" while angrily pointing to the curb, then he gives me the finger and zooms away down the road. I don't think we did anything wrong at all..i was just dumbfounded that he got so close to someone with a baby carrier while we were riding. But anyways, tell me if we were riding wrong..or something, or do nothing. i just wanted to vent about how obnoxious i feel he was.

sudo bike

Very much recommend reporting it. Let them know he obviously purposefully pulled close to you in what was a threatening manner (mentioning you felt a child was endangered couldn't hurt). As has been said a million times before, the cops may or may not do anything (depends a lot on your region), but your report could make a very big difference if this idiot does something more extreme down the road. If he pulls the same crap to someone else and ends up hurting them (on purpose or by "accident" due to his unsafe behavior), a report on file of previous bad behavior can go a very long way to building a case against them.

bhop

Report it and make sure you mention the kid in the carrier, maybe the cops will care a little more.

bigboyd937

do you think its too late? it happened today at like 430, its now close to midnight. can it wait until tomorrow? OH and one of the things that shocked me most about it that i forgot to mention was that he was an adult, like at least in his 40s. i can understand kids driving around yelling at people, that happens all the time but it doesn't bother me. this just really got to me.

10 Wheels

Go to the police station and file a report.

Chris516

Also, That the motorist's behavior was menacing.

unterhausen

I'm not going to tell you what I would have done because I don't want to lose my reputation for being exceptionally easy-going. However, anyone that pulls up beside me with the window down gets told to leave or I'm calling the cops. Driver seriously needs to have a re-education.

K'Tesh

I'll second that...

silmarillion

Yes, I do sense a little reckless endangerment there, especially given the fact that you were pulling a child as well. This guy is a jacka$$ and deserves to be served before he kills someone.

I can't believe people can be so senseless. But he feels that he pays taxes for his sports car and should not be subject to someone enjoying a nice day with his little girl on a bike ride.

Kudos for dad spending time with his daughter!

I would report him too.

teaboy1748

That guy got road rage issue!
Did you get the driver license plate number?
Invest in helmet cameras.

kjmillig

+1 for both!

bigboyd937

i didn't get his license plate number :\ he was next to us and i couldn't see it, then he was ahead of us zooming away and i was too caught off guard to even think about trying to get his plates. i think today if i have a little time before golf i'm gonna go report it at the police station, even if they don't catch him maybe they'll at least be more watchful or something. thanks for all the advice guys.

genec

Yet another a$$hat behind the wheel... no surprise at all.

silmarillion

Keep your eyes peeled for this joker...

Paul Barnard

I would have invited that person to step out of the car to discuss matters.

adablduya

i couldn't say it any better.

i generally try to be non-confrontational, but not in situations like this. i would have done/said whatever it took for this d-bag to stop and exit his car. would be a bad ending to his day, for sure. actions like that are aggressive, in my opinion, and thus put me right into self-defense mode. all bets are off then.

skye

In all likelihood, the cops will look up the buddy with the kid and flap child endangerment warnings in his face.

Don't ever confuse what goes on in a cop's mind with intelligence. It's mostly a mixture of hormones and flatulence.

bigboyd937

i would have loved to had done something like that..but i'm a pretty scrawny kid, and not much of a fighter at all. and i doubt Michael would have wanted to fight or even argue with the guy in front of his daughter. the dude was pretty "large" too, maybe he just looked more intimidating than he actually is. I replied to him with a loud "alright bro" in a sarcastic manner then gave him a big smile. Kill him with kindness as my mother says haha

ScottStr

If I managed to keep my adrenaline in check and get the plate number, I would call the police with it and email one of my police contacts: the sargeant over the bicycle-mounted patrol in the department. I know it would get attention here without that, but I also know he'd like to know about the incident.

____asdfghjkl

if that was me in that situation and put my kid in any kind of danger (or anyone's kid) I would kick their a$$.

Don't know if reporting is going to do anything. Cops suck for the most part. I remember getting into an accident the cops said "I commute by bike too, I ride on the sidewalk instead of the street" :/

Digital_Cowboy

Yep, report it, if memory serves me correctly, that is part of why the charges were so severe against that "good doctor" out in LA. It was because he had a record of engaging in such behavior. It also didn't hurt that he said not just once, but twice that he was "trying to teach them a lesson."

Digital_Cowboy

So what, because a father or mother was riding a bike with their child in a bike seat is engaging in "child endangerment?" Than I guess that a mother or father who is likewise walking down the street with their child either in hand or in a stroller is likewise engaging in child endangerment?

The father in this incident was NOT engaging in any kind of child endangerment. The motorist was the one who was endangering the safety of not only the child but the two cyclists.

chrisb71

if the cop sounds like he doesn't want to cooperate, just tell him to go scare the guy a little, he may be willing to do that especially considering there was a little kid involved. I would keep mentioning the kid and how he swerved over closer to you menacing you. also that you were in a single file line

gcottay

Are you competing for the arrogant ignorance award?

sudo bike

Color me skeptical.

Mindless stereotyping aside, cops usually still serve some semblance of usefulness, at least in many places. Filing a report usually isn't a big deal, and if there's two people both independently wanting to file a report on the same person, it's much more likely to get notice. They may not care, but they also don't want to be faced with trouble, be it from their superiors or elsewhere. If you are unfortunate enough to get a cop who refuses to file a report, you move up the ladder - but you may be surprised how often it's a non-issue.

Look at the reports that helped put the Doc away - obviously some cops must be filing reports from cyclists without issue. You're overreacting.