should you report a 'near' accident?

justo

This morning (about 15 minutes ago) I was turning left in the filter lane from Macken Street onto Pearse Street (travelling away from the Liffey). I had a green light and as I reached the junction a car coming in the opposite direction turned right and we made contact as we both went around the corner. The driver was fully aware that we had made contact and I kinda got pinned to her for a bit as we went side by side up the road. I pushed myself away and was surprised that I managed to regain balance, as at one brief second I definitely had the thought I was going over.

She didn't stop and I followed her less than half a km to where I presume she works. As she got out of the car I took out my phone and told her I was taking a photo of her reg. to report her to the Gardai. She became quite animated and started shouting excuse me! excuse me! over and over. I explained that she almost caused a serious accident and then continued to drive away after making contact with a cyclist.

First she said 'you flew around the corner' I said 'I had right of way' then she said 'well you didn't signal left'. I said 'I was in the left-filter lane which is left-turn only and I had right of way', She said' well, I cycle as well', I said ' I don't care'. She said 'EXCUSE ME!' and I said 'You're excused' and took a photo of her car and left.

Here's the question: Part of me feels like forgetting about it. But part of me feels like reporting it to the Gardaí with her details, because of her terrible driving and also due to the fact that it will surely happen again, as she seems to have little understanding for this particular road manoeuvre. Do I report it to the Gardai?

seamus

No harm to do so. There are no injuries and you both kept moving, so there wouldn't be any kind of serious charges.

Most people won't accept that they've done anything wrong until a Garda knocks at the door and cautions them about their driving, which is what would happen in this case IMO.

Dr_Colossus

Do report it solely because she didn't stop and her attitude afterwards. If she'd stopped and apologized profusely and asked if you were alright I'd be inclined to let it be seems no damage was done and she was more likely to learn from her mistake.
What really irks me is when someone is in the wrong like this they then get all offensive and aggressive claiming you're at fault. She said you flew around the corner so she therefore saw you but yet continued to collide with you? She deserves a speaking to from the guards and maybe then she'll be more careful and considerate to other road users.

langdang

Report it!
Had something similar happen me recently and I procrastinated too long to make it worth reporting. Report it now.

kenmc

report it, and as a hit and run. it wasn't a "near accident" if she made contact with you.

Idleater

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Do report it solely because she didn't stop and her attitude afterwards. If she'd stopped and apologized profusely and asked if you were alright I'd be inclined to let it be seems no damage was done and she was more likely to learn from her mistake.

Agreed, I followed a taxi that cut across me (both turning left on a sharp bend) and he stopped in the rank 1km up the road. I noted the number as I passed, gave him a wave and popped into the garda station around the corner. I explained to the garda what had happened and he went out to the rank to explain the situation nicely to the man. No pressing charges, just a simple clarification of the error of his ways.

Lumen

justo wrote: »

I was turning left in the filter lane from Macken...a car coming in the opposite direction turned right...she said...'well you didn't signal left'

If she thought you were going straight on then she intentionally turned across you, which would be exceptionally reckless.

Report the muppet.

justo

Lumen wrote: »

If she thought you were going straight on then she intentionally turned across you, which would be exceptionally reckless.

Report the muppet.

Yes. She seemed to be moving from excuse to excuse. all the way down to the pityful 'well, I cycle too'.

wpd

Please report it Justo
sounds like she had no regard for hitting you at all and
next time it could be my life she takes

she defo needs to understand what she did is illegal

justo

wpd wrote: »

Please report it Justo
sounds like she had no regard for hitting you at all and
next time it could be my life she takes

she defo needs to understand what she did is illegal

Yep. Will do.

I called the Gardai in Pease Street, but it seems you have to call in to the station in person. Will do this on the way home today.

kona

justo wrote: »

This morning (about 15 minutes ago) I was turning left in the filter lane from Macken Street onto Pearse Street (travelling away from the Liffey). I had a green light and as I reached the junction a car coming in the opposite direction turned right and we made contact as we both went around the corner. The driver was fully aware that we had made contact and I kinda got pinned to her for a bit as we went side by side up the road. I pushed myself away and was surprised that I managed to regain balance, as at one brief second I definitely had the thought I was going over.

She didn't stop and I followed her less than half a km to where I presume she works. As she got out of the car I took out my phone and told her I was taking a photo of her reg. to report her to the Gardai. She became quite animated and started shouting excuse me! excuse me! over and over. I explained that she almost caused a serious accident and then continued to drive away after making contact with a cyclist.

First she said 'you flew around the corner' I said 'I had right of way' then she said 'well you didn't signal left'. I said 'I was in the left-filter lane which is left-turn only and I had right of way', She said' well, I cycle as well', I said ' I don't care'. She said 'EXCUSE ME!' and I said 'You're excused' and took a photo of her car and left.

Here's the question: Part of me feels like forgetting about it. But part of me feels like reporting it to the Gardaí with her details, because of her terrible driving and also due to the fact that it will surely happen again, as she seems to have little understanding for this particular road manoeuvre. Do I report it to the Gardai?

I dont think from what you said the woman is in the wrong.
Traffic from westmoreland street and from macken street converge here? with the traffic from westmoreland street having right of way since they enter the junction first. I cannot see how she could have cut you up at the junction.

--LOS--

I would definitely report even if it means this one person will learn their lesson and avoid any mishaps with cyclists in the future. It's sheer arrogance on her part to assume no responsibility.

And this...

Lumen wrote: »

If she thought you were going straight on then she intentionally turned across you, which would be exceptionally reckless.

Report the muppet.

If you had right of way and she wasn't even sure you were turning left, her turning right only makes it worse

easygoing39

@ Kona,Macken st is no where near westmoreland st.

kona

easygoing39 wrote: »

@ Kona,Macken st is no where near westmoreland st.

Isnt macken street the one opposite westmoreland street? at the junction of pearse st station and trinity?

And so it isnt. In which case I have no idea who is at fault!

justo

kona wrote: »

I dont think from what you said the woman is in the wrong.
Traffic from westmoreland street and from macken street converge here? with the traffic from westmoreland street having right of way since they enter the junction first. I cannot see how she could have cut you up at the junction.

This is all wrong.

Plastik

Macken st. come from the new bridge up towards Pearse St., passed Grand Canal Theatre

Gavin

kona wrote: »

I dont think from what you said the woman is in the wrong.
Traffic from westmoreland street and from macken street converge here? with the traffic from westmoreland street having right of way since they enter the junction first. I cannot see how she could have cut you up at the junction.

This seems to be the location. If it is, and the OP was travelling south on Macken St, then turning east onto Pearse St, he has complete right of way, as he described.

justo

Gavin wrote: »

This seems to be the location. If it is, and the OP was travelling south on Macken St, then turning east onto Pearse St, he has complete right of way, as he described.

I was travelling along Macken Street, away from the Liffey and turned left onto Pearse Street towards Ringsend. The car was travelling in the other direction on Macken Street and turned right towards Ringsend and Kerplooey!

kona

If you had a green filter light to turn left, then she broke the lights to turn right. Some people dont get the difference between a green arrow and a Full Green light.
If you had the usual Orange filter light, you both should have been looking, either way it was well avoidable. Green lights still dont mean you can do what the **** you want.

oflahero

Lights both ways are just simple red, amber, green. Which makes it nice and simple. Green => OP had priority turning left, offending car coming from the opposite direction must wait before turning right until opposing left-turning/straight traffic clears before going. Just as if the OP had been in a car.

justo

image attached.

I think the lights have been replaced since google maps were made.

The left lane is now left only, as there is a filter there. At the time I passed through it was full green for all traffic moving through the junction.

n-dawg

Just to make things even more confussing... If this happened in New Zealand the OP would have been in the wrong!

http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_New_Zealand

But in Ireland she was completely wrong and you should report it.

kona

oflahero wrote: »

Lights both ways are just simple red, amber, green. Which makes it nice and simple. Green => OP had priority turning left, offending car coming from the opposite direction must wait before turning right until opposing left-turning/straight traffic clears before going. Just as if the OP had been in a car.

Then whats all the talk about a filter lane? filter lanes have filter lights.

Even so considering speed of traffic the car must have been well into the manouvre before the cyclist took the bend.

A simple pull of teh brake would have avoided

A) Being stressed
B)Confrontation
C) A debate on weather to tell the garda
D) Possible wasting a gardas time.
E) putting yourself in a position that could have Broke ya.

IMO reporting it isnt going to do anybody any good. We have to share the roads and the less of the us V Cars mentality the better. That Woman is off bitching now all morning to her collegues about it. who will now be on a anti cyclist buzz on the way home.

tomasrojo

n-dawg wrote: »

Just to make things even more confussing... If this happened in New Zealand the OP would have been in the wrong!

http://wikitravel.org/en/Driving_in_New_Zealand

But in Ireland she was completely wrong and you should report it.

In New Zealand she would have been fine driving without insurance as well!

seamus

kona wrote: »

Then whats all the talk about a filter lane? filter lanes have filter lights.

Not necessarily. You can have a "left only" lane without a "left only" light.

Lemag

Please report it OP. If even to only ease my conscience. I had a similar confrontation after being knocked off my bike with a dopey bint just over a year ago who reacted pretty much the same way towards me as you experienced. I was physically fine but, regretfully, I didn't report her and it's quite possible that she has continued on her merry way unwittingly wreaking havoc all around her.

tomasrojo

If it's a question or right of way, the cyclist had right of way. The motorist's excuse that she thought the cyclist was going straight on makes her error even worse.

It's pretty obvious she was casting around for reasons to claim the cyclist was in the wrong. I've come across this myself, including the spurious "you didn't signal" claim. I got this once when a car pulled out of a side road in front of me. Her beef when I told her she's gone through a stop sign without giving way to oncoming traffic was that I hadn't signalled before swerving right to avoid her.

droidus

seamus wrote: »

Not necessarily. You can have a "left only" lane without a "left only" light.

And its also far more common.

petethedrummer

justo wrote: »

image attached.

Print that out and bring it with you. Makes it much easier to understand what went on.

seamus

petethedrummer wrote: »

Print that out and bring it with you. Makes it much easier to understand what went on.

Agreed, there'll be much less explaining to do there.

She has no excuse really. I imagine what happened is that she just plain old SMIDSY'd you. And if she didn't see you, then logically that means that it must be your fault for wearing your magical invisibility cloak today. Because if you were visible, she would have seen you.

Unfortunately it's an innate flaw in our brain's programming that you're up against here as most people trust their eyes and their ears implicitly as being faultless and infallible.

Dr_Colossus

Dr_Colossus wrote: »

Do report it solely because she didn't stop and her attitude afterwards.

So true. The attitude of a driver after an incident/accident for some reason means at lot to me (and I'm sure others). Both times I've been in collision with vehicles the drivers were profusely apologetic, partly because of this I didn't bring any civil case or anything like that. If one were the litigous type it would be pretty easy to get a nice payout once the driver admits liability.

kenmc

any update on this? did you report it? if so how was it received?