Apologetic bad driving - alternative Friday thread?

buffalo

Knocked off the bike yesterday. Coming from St Patrick's Cathedral outbound to Clanbrassil Street, crossing the Kevin Street junction. Lights have just gone to green and I'm about three/four cars back; nobody is indicating. Slightly behind a car as he moves off, he heads straight, I pick up speed a bit, then he swings across the turn very late, and obviously without checking his mirror properly. Clips me with the back of the car, sends me sprawling.

He was very apologetic about it, acknowledged it was his fault. After I'd checked myself over, just minor scrapes, and the bike, all good, and we were about to part ways, a Garda showed up.

I let it go, believing that if somebody is sorry, they've hopefully learned a lesson and won't make the same mistake again.

Or would it be in the public interest to tell the Garda that this man performed a stupid bit of driving, and shouldn't be in charge of a motor vehicle, and perhaps take him off the road for a bit - hammer home the lesson.

Discuss.

awec

Everyone makes mistakes. If you weren't badly hurt and he was genuinely apologetic then I'd have let it go.

He knew he was in the wrong - chances are he won't make that mistake again.

Karma

access ever situation differently, if they are nice, i "usually" am in return...;)

the other side of the wheel(on occasion)
I was driving last night and i could see a cyclist heading for the junction to join the road i was on... oh there's no way she is stopping!!!!!!!(nth strand fire station- at least an ambulance would have been there quick)
swung into 2 lanes of traffic(missing the bike lane-guessing it was her target) i got real close with the guy in the outside lane real quick. AH!!!!!!! high vis only and no lights on her. Except for the fact i always look out, i dont know where i would have been sleeping last night I can not believe in the personal protection opinion that some people believe in, "sure it will be grand" a fcukin grand funeral is more like it)

Roger Hassenforder

if every motorist was put of the road for a bit if they do something stupid, there wouldnt be a car on the road. Certainly no white vans or fiestas.
If you werent hurt, suffered no loss & he was genuinely remorseful, let it go, if he hasnt learnt a lesson after that, he'll never learn

tomasrojo

I don't know whose fault it was or what censure is appropriate (out of loyalty, I want to back buffalo though! -- and not signalling is a clear mistake), but I think it's wisest, if traffic is not fast, to "follow" a car through the junction. I hang back just behind a car, effectively between two cars, even if I'm off to the left slightly, and get ready to brake if the car in front starts to turn; otherwise I continue just behind the car in front through the junction. Bit slow maybe, but it avoids conflict with those who don't signal.

DavyD_83

Roger Hassenforder wrote: »

if every motorist was put of the road for a bit if they do something stupid, there wouldnt be a car on the road. Certainly no white vans or fiestas.
If you werent hurt, suffered no loss & he was genuinely remorseful, let it go, if he hasnt learnt a lesson after that, he'll never learn

Was this meant to be an argument against putting taking action? :pac:

buffalo

tomasrojo wrote: »

I don't know whose fault it was or what censure is appropriate (out of loyalty, I want to back buffalo though!), but I think it's wisest, if traffic is not fast, to "follow" a car through the junction. I hang back just behind a car, effectively between two cars, even if I'm off to the left slightly, and get ready to brake if the car in front starts to turn; otherwise I continue just behind the car in front through the junction. Bit slow maybe, but it avoids conflict with those who don't signal.

Likewise, after 15 years on the road, I generally do the same. On this occasion he took the turn very late, and was already a lot of the way through the junction when he decided to turn. I imagine he realised he needed to make the turn at the last second, and just swung into it. I am able to look back at some incidents and realise my position or speed were at fault to a degree at times, but I don't feel it applies here.

http://goo.gl/maps/D4xx - coming from the north, him heading east, me south. In this instance he didn't turn into the left-hand lane (white van), but more where the silver car is.

But I don't really want to get into the particulars of my case (though i just have ), but more of a general discussion as to how far you should admonish people who are at fault, and make a mistake at your expense. Should you /always/ report to the Gardaí? Should you only report if there's a major injury - what's a major injury, etc. If the guy's is an arsehole, or doesn't stop, I'm far more inclined to take the reg and report.

tomasrojo

Ah, a late turn without looking or signalling. That's very bad.

I think that since you're not badly hurt (at least I hope so!) that the Gardaí won't be interested in taking this anywhere. I have reported people for careless driving -- two years ago a car nearly wiped out my pregnant wife and me as we crossed on foot at a green man; I think he didn't even realise he was going through a traffic light, judging by his reactions after brushing past us at speed -- but I've found that without serious injury, no action is taken. In that case, the Gardaí didn't even call us back after reporting.

tomasrojo

Oddly, I think the clueless drivers are often more dangerous than the evil, aggressive ones. At least the evil, aggressive drivers usually draw enough attention to themselves that you can pull over and let them go.

lazycyclist

The Clanbrasil St / Kevin St junction is notorious for dodgy left turns. Thank my lucky stars everytime I make it through unscathed.

What bugs me and which is why I tend to hold back is the number of people you can observe in their cars who never look at the inside mirror or in some cases (generally micra drivers), have folded in the inside mirror as if unfolding it will reveal the horrors of the world.