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news
Video: Driver calls 999 to report cyclist for not getting out of her way
A video of what a cyclist described as a “bizarre sequence events” including a driver calling 999 to complain that he hadn’t pulled over to let her past on a narrow rural road has gone viral on YouTube, racking up nearly 50,000 views on the video-sharing site.
The incident happened last month in northwest Kent. Stuart, who filmed the footage, told us: “I was cycling along Rye Lane between Otford and Dunton Green near Sevenoaks; it’s a very narrow winding road.
“I was aware of a car behind me for a couple of minutes, but there was nowhere to move over without stopping altogether, and a car can’t go much faster than a bike there anyway.
“Also, if I’d let it pass and another car had come the other way, they’d both have had to stop, and so would I. I knew the road was widening out shortly so I kept going.
“When the road widened the driver pulled alongside me and accused me of ‘ignorance’, apparently for not jumping into a hedge to let her pass immediately.”
It seemed to Stuart that the exchange had ended, with the motorist heading off up the road, but he said that “as I came round the next bend she had stopped her car (in the road, impeding traffic, ironically) and was filming me.
“An increasingly bizarre sequence of events included her calling 999 to complain that she thought I’d been a bit rude, and flagging down another driver to have a mutual rant about uppity cyclists, all while ignoring the distressed cries of her children.
“Eventually, when it became clear that the police didn’t fancy coming out to intervene on matters of courtesy, she went on her way.”
“This is all quite funny, but cyclists shouldn’t have to endure this sort of thing, and she also made some nasty insinuations about my having scared her children, or that the situation was that a man was threatening a woman (this the week after Sarah Everard’s tragic death),” he added.
“In fact she’d started all this, and I’d deliberately restrained my language and kept my distance to avoid distressing the kids. It’s all the more galling because there’s a main road going exactly the same way, which I avoid because of speeding drivers; now I’m being hassled on the alternative route too.”
One commenter to the YouTube video said, “The very worst part of all of this is that she will not ever realise she was wrong, and will rant to her friends about this ‘idiot rude cyclist’ who so upset her children with their actions - thereby entrenching more negative views of cyclists in general. Over something that was entirely her fault.”
Others suggested she should be reported for using her mobile phone while driving, while another said, “I pity her kids.”
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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94 comments
“I was aware of a car behind me for a couple of minutes, but there was nowhere to move over without stopping altogether, and a car can’t go much faster than a bike there anyway.
“Also, if I’d let it pass and another car had come the other way, they’d both have had to stop, and so would I. I knew the road was widening out shortly so I kept going.
Why would you think that you had to pull over for her? You have as much right to be on the road.
This is not about the right to use the road; vehicles travelling much slower than the speed limit on roads that don't allow easy overtaking for a long time (which doesn't apply with this video), should pull over occasionally if safe to do so, to allow traffic build-up to safely pass; just common sense and decency really.
Indeed they should; but only where it is safe to do so; as the cyclist has said, there wasn't such a place.
There are such points but I quote "there was nowhere to move over without stopping altogether ". I get this from time to time and my decision is usually to pull over . Sometimes you then get have to wait further along the road when another vehicle passes in the other direction but unless I'm trying for a strava time (no chance) it's just less agro to let them pass. Maybe I'm just too much of an easy touch.
Her unshakeable assumption is that it is "her" way, therefore it is for you to get out of it.
To be fair, that is the assumption of most drivers, and as cyclists we are made to feel that we borrow the road at their sufferance only. I'd say about 10-20 seconds in "their" way is the limit for most drivers before they feel an offence is being committed.
Even so, most don't actually call the police. However, around Sevenoaks I suspect there is a special level of entitlement!
...and the decides to stop on a bend, on a narrow lane when there was a large area 5m back that she could have safely pulled over to make a complete ar$e of herself
I wonder whether, if say a motorbike had caught her up on the single-lane stretch and was waiting for a safe place to pass, she would have pulled over and stopped in a field gateway to allow the biker to pass. I suspect not!
As a motorcyclist I can anwser this - but you already know the answer.
WIth an idiot like that on the road I would rather have them in front of me than go past and potentially have them come up behind me.
If they are in front I can control the situation to some extent - at the least I can see what they are doing and make a decision about how to react.
You would have jumped in the hedge then ?
Although in my area I have never been along that road, but there must be places to pass . What would happen when two vehicles meet each other? I cant see them reversing round winding bends
In October in Norfolk, I had to reverse someway to get to a wide enough point.
When I continued I was furious to find the other driver could have reversed 10 m round the bend. My ire was also raised because I had approached the bend cautiously unlike the other driver.
Me too, Forest of Dean, three days ago.
I've cycled in north west kent for decades and used to work in sevenoaks pre lockdown and dont think I've come across a lane without passing points at least every 400 yards or so. Even a quick Google streetview shows several drive ways that would allow safe passing , so to say they would have to jump into a hedge is a bit much.
Having said that, the driver clearly has screw loose . As a parent of 2 young children I wouldn't leave them crying in a car whilst I try and prove point no matter how ridiculous it is.
Me too , in cornwall several years back going down a steep hill to the seal sanctuary. I had to reverse back up the steep hill for a couple of cars only to have to do it again for another driver because they were too scared to reverse themselves. However this lane does have several points cars can pass but it would require cooperation from both .I agree the cyclist has every right to continue his journey without having pull over and that's their choice.
Personally I wouldn't have stopped when she confronted him in the road. If she wanted to physically stop me then so be it, but then I would be the one calling 999
In the youtube comments he says he felt he had to hang around when she started filming him otherwise he felt he looked guilty. I think it diffused it a bit as he was calm and stood some distance away and said he'd wait for the police !
Lying to the police is worrying as why would any bloke now get involved in anything if people are going to make stuff up in order to wriggle out of a situation they created.
They can slow to below walking pace, and pass each other safely at well under a meter distance. I've driven on lanes like that, and yes sometimes you meet another car coming the other way, and there are stone walls on both sides, and one of you has to reverse to where the road widens a bit.
I'm another like this - I've seen too much poor driving, that I'd rather they were in front of me, than behind, not knowing what they're trying to do. In fact, I no longer filter at traffic lights....
I know I have as much right to be on the road as them, but I would quite like to get home after a ride - and anything that may antagonise them is to be avoided. It's an often used term, but it's no good being in the right, if you end up in the undertakers.....
"anything that may antagonise them is to be avoided" but that is just giving into bullies though and allows them to repeat the behaviour as the norm.
However, always have an escape route for whatever situation you are in.
are we just ignoring the white van(s) in this then ?
White vans?
I saw the gorilla though.
What an absolute twunt she is. Couldn't give a shit about her kids. Feels the world owes her a favour.
Fuck off home Karen.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufYg5H6zsMg
Utterly bonkers. Stuart is a far more patient man than I but no amount of calm reason is going to resolve her issues.
Surely we need some sort of award for the most hilarious, bizarre vid of a driver? The one of the gammon chasing the cyclist on foot and falling over was pretty good, but not nearly as strange as this one. Do we call them Karen in this country?
Congrats to Stuart for remaining calm and not ROFLing.
Is it now a crime to use a phone to take a pic while driving? It used to be that it was only a crime if you talked on it.
Absolutely insane. What did she think the outcome would be? Full riot team to give the guy a kicking?
Stuart, what an incredibly patient man.
That was hilarious.
Waste of police time and resources.
But you can bet the call-handler put the call on loudspeaker. You can guess their "WTF? What do I do? Help, folks, I've got a loony" hand signals. And you can guess that his/her colleagues were p!$$ing themselves laughing.
Another case of big car and little brain.
At least it wasn't a SUV in this instance.
It was an SUV, it was a Volvo XC90
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