Taxi driver dangerous driving

overdriver

Less than 20 minutes ago, I was coming home from Leixlip. On the Lucan bypass, I was in the right hand lane, as I was getting ready to turn right onto the M50 Southbound. The limit's 80kmh there, and that's what I was doing, on the nose.

A car comes up behind me at speed, lights flashing furiously, but as the other lanes were empty, and I was almost at my turn, I ignored him. Turns out its a taxi driver in a 95 D Mercedes. He was well angry, and swerved into my lane, and JAMMED ON HIS BRAKES!!! Then he swerved out of my lane, back in again and jammed on the brakes again.


I have never seen anything like it. I got his plate number and reg, and I reported him to Lucan Gardai, who will stop him when they see him. they advised me to call the carriage office, which I will do first thing. this d1ckhead should not be on teh roads.

Devon

Wow. That sounds pretty nerve wrecking. That's the type of thing you only hear about in other countries before he starts shooting at your tyres. You're safe now thank God. Get a cup of tea to calm your nerves. What an awful experience.

overdriver

It was like something out of a film, I swear. I was ****-scared. He then went off down to the M50 turn off like a bullet.

up for anything

I know how you feel. When I was living in London and working in Guildford I was on my way home one evening on the A3. I 'overtook' a guy in a red BMW... he was in the inside lane and I was in the middle lane. He took umbrage and veered into my lane at about 80mph and braked right in front of me.. I was doing 70. He took off again and did the same thing about 8 times... all this at speeds of circa 70mph and a busy motorway. Complete tosser. I really wished I had a monster truck with bullbars so I could obliterate him.:mad:

overdriver

Just been on to the carriage office. They say to call Lucan gardai.

The runaround begins.

Wishbone Ash

overdriver wrote:

I was almost at my turn, I ignored him. Turns out its a taxi driver in a 95 D Mercedes. He was well angry, and swerved into my lane, and JAMMED ON HIS BRAKES!!! Then he swerved out of my lane, back in again and jammed on the brakes again.

If you were doing 80kph and almost at your turn, it seems odd that he had enough road left to swerve in and out of your lane and then back in and out again. Lane hogging?

I'm not for one moment excusing this tosser's behaviour. Make sure you go to the Carriage Office. They take all complaints seriously.


EDIT: Error in speed posted in original thread.

Vegeta

Wishbone Ash wrote:

If you were doing 70mph and almost at your turn, it seems odd that he had enough road left to swerve in and out of your lane and then back in and out again. Lane hogging?

I'm not for one moment excusing this tosser's behaviour. Make sure you go to the Carriage Office. They take all complaints seriously.

he wasn't doing 70mph he was doing 80kph

Avns1s

Wishbone Ash wrote:

If you were doing 70mph and almost at your turn, it seems odd that he had enough road left to swerve in and out of your lane and then back in and out again. Lane hogging?

I'm not for one moment excusing this tosser's behaviour. Make sure you go to the Carriage Office. They take all complaints seriously.

80kmh is 50 MPH

Just wondering is the 1890 205 805 (if memory serves me correctly) still in operation. If it is you could call that as it would be a national service and might get a better response than the local Gardai. TBH the Gardai saying something like "we'll talk to him if we see him" seems lame to me. They can trace him from the number. So let them get on and do it.

OP Did they ask you if you will go to court if necessary? If not, it would appear as though they have no notion of following it up.

Wishbone Ash

Vegeta wrote:

he wasn't doing 70mph he was doing 80kph

Oops, sorry - I confused it with "Up for anything's" post.

overdriver

I was about a mile from my turn, seemingly. Too far back to be in the overtaking lane to turn, perhaps, but the road was empty, so he had lots of room to speed in the other lanes if he wanted.


just spoke to rather unusual Sergeant in Lucan.

Getting to the point of just leaving it be, now.

BrianD3

No excuses for his behaviour but moving into the overtaking lane a mile before the roundabout is a bit soon especially at quiet times. I normally wait till after the point where the road widens to three lanes before moving into the rightmost lane.

BTW as you approach the roundabout the speed limit reduces to 60 km/h

overdriver

Fair enough, but bear in mind that at 80 kmh, one arrives at the turn off in just over 65 seconds, not taking into account the further reduction in speed where you say.
He was absolutely bombing up the carriageway by the three-lane section, as I was driving at the limit at all times.

If you're coming home from work, and enter a lane, at the MOST 60 seconds, 70 seconds too early, you do NOT deserve to endangered in this fashion, particularly by someone who should know that courtesy on the road costs nothin.

Keith C

There's plenty of garda members on this website, any of them care to advise on how to proceed with this or is op wasting his time??

overdriver

Just had the sergeant from Lucan on. Says that if I'm not prepared to go to court I'm wasting his time, and mine and that if I'm not going to stand up in court, I'm "full of ****!". He was really putting it up to me.
Funny and infuriating man!

Alun

overdriver wrote:

Just had the sergeant from Lucan on. Says that if I'm not prepared to go to court I'm wasting his time, and mine and that if I'm not going to stand up in court, I'm "full of ****!". He was really putting it up to me.
Funny and infuriating man!

Very professional (not).

overdriver

He was horrible. No fooling.

daymobrew

overdriver wrote:

He was horrible. No fooling.

Go up the ladder a bit - if you write to the Assistant Commissioner for Dublin you will get a reply. I've written to him a few times and, by God, does it get action. If you don't want to go up that far, visit Lucan station and try speak with the Superintendent.

WRT to the original offence, report it to TrafficWatch (1890-205-805). It will get recorded in the PULSE computer and sent to Lucan station. Unfortunately, to prosecute the driver you will have to make a statement at the station and be willing to go to court. We need brave people to follow through to sort out drivers like you described.

overdriver

Brave is right.
I would imagine it will come down to his word against mine, and then I would have a taxi driver who is clearly a bit mad with a grudge. For what is beginning to look like a waste of time.

There is also the issue of my own culpability in that I wa sin the wrong lane technically.

I can understand the Gardai being tired of people not following through, and I can similarly understand people not wanting to follow through.

cpoh1

Whatever about the taxi drivers behaviour in this (which im not for a minute condoning), you need to look at what you could have done to avoid this situation.

There is no way in hell you should have been cruising in the overtaking lane like that, at that hour and with no traffic around. If you had been driving with due care and attention towards other drivers you would have been in the left lane minding your own business until you got to within 100yards of the roundabout and switched lanes for your turnoff. So while the taxi driver was a clown to behave like that you really didnt help the situation yourself with your poor regard for other road users.

overdriver

Did I not say that myself?

There's a difference in what I did and what he did. A world of difference. It's not up to some lunatic to "teach me a lesson" by nearly killing me.
In my defence I'm not too familiar with that stretch of road, and less so now that it's landscape is changed with roadworks and what have you. So I was in a minute or so too early. My fault in that is not in question.