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news
Taxi (copyright Simon MacMichael)Taxi association warns drivers of "sneaky" cyclists with cameras catching law-breaking behaviour
A concerned taxi driver's association rep has warned cabbies of cyclists' "sneaky" cameras costing professional drivers fines and penalty points.
Speaking to TAXI Newspaper, a publication of the Licensed Taxi Driver's Association (LTDA), LTDA executive Lloyd Baldwin urged drivers to avoid being "tempted to pick up your mobile phone", not because of the danger a distraction could cause other road users, but because of those pesky cyclists with their helmet cameras.
Telling the tale of one member who received a fixed penalty notice for six points and a £200 fine, Baldwin explained how the driver requested a copy of the video footage which he then forwarded on to the LTDA.
> Here's what to do if you capture a near miss, close pass or collision on camera while cycling
"He didn't remember any such incident and had not been approached by a police officer," Baldwin explained. "I advised that it was probably a report from a cyclist or possibly a member of the public and suggested that he contacted the police explaining that he didn't know of any incident and to ask them to email him the evidence against him.
"I told him to relay to the police that he didn't want to plead not guilty, then attend court only for the police to produce evidence which showed him making an error he was unaware of. The police agreed and sent him a video.
"The member emailed the video to me. What I watched showed just how sneaky these cyclists can be."
Explaining what happened, the LTDA rep says the cyclist struck up a conversation with the driver so he could get footage of his law-breaking.
"Picture the scene. Our member is sitting in Sloane Street traffic, northbound at the lights with Knightsbridge," Baldwin continued. "A cyclist drives past and has a look through his driver's window. The cyclist saw that the cabbie had his phone in his hand. The cyclist carried on, but then reversed back and started a conversation with the cabbie about how a car had stopped in the cycle box.
"Obviously, the cabbie showed no interest and gave him a look of 'so what?'. Little did he realise, the reason for the conversation was so the cyclist could film the member up close and report him to the police.
"Of course, the cabbie was unknowingly guilty and will have to face the consequences, but it goes to show you can never be too careful. I may sound like a broken record and friends of mine suggest I write about something else (they are happy to tell me how boring I am), but I know what damage these six points can do to a cabbie.
"So please be careful. In my experience, 90 per cent of reports made to the police are from cyclists."
Reports to police of law breaking and dangerous driving on Britain's roads are on the rise, with a 25 per cent increase in video submissions reported in the first three months after last year's Highway Code changes.
Regular readers of this website will no doubt be familiar with CyclingMikey, one of the cyclists regularly reporting drivers using their phones behind the wheel, and who also uploads videos like the one below to his YouTube channel.
Last week an Edinburgh cyclist, driven off social media by abuse from trolls, said he would not give up on reporting dangerous motorists he captures on his helmet camera.
Speaking to road.cc, Edinburgh-based cyclist Deacon Thurston argued that the "societal acceptance" of anti-cycling attitudes – strikingly evident in the recent campaign against him, which saw one Twitter user invite others to join him on a "hit-and-run" – is a key barrier to coaxing people out of their cars and towards more sustainable modes of transport.
Thurston began regularly reporting and posting videos of law-breaking drivers on Twitter and YouTube just over a year ago, after being involved in an altercation with a motorist that the police couldn't pursue due to a lack of evidence and witnesses.
"Two days later I became GoPro's newest customer and I've recorded every ride since," he told us.
"I report as much of the bad and dangerous driving to the police as I can possibly manage, the rest has tended to find its way onto Twitter and YouTube to raise awareness of just how widespread this behaviour is."
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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64 comments
And yet I see a dozen violations of traffic laws by cyclists here in Cambridge when I venture into the city, and they all go ignored.
I see a dozen violations of traffic laws by cyclists here in Cambridge when I venture into the city, and they all go ignored
And I see dozens of violations traffic laws by vehicles here in Lancashire, and they all go ignored by the most idle/ bent or both police force in England. BG67 YVC was reported 5 days ago at this exact location for having no MOT, a failed MOT for 'major braking defect' and for being SORN-ed. It is therefore uninsured. Lancashire Constabulary has leapt into action and allocated an incident reference and done absolutely nothing else- as you can see, the offender is driving to this building site day after day
And none of them are operating several tonnes of metal.
If motoring offences were actually noticed then congestion would be sorted in weeks. 10% banned within a week for phone use, most within a day. And another 50% within a month, banned for speeding.
They just cannot help themselves.
And drink and drug driving.
And not forgetting the millions going because of the lack of MOT, insurance, VED or license. Then there's numberplate cloning...
Like this one - 31 year old Laurie Coleman, from Harrogate,738mcg of benzolecgonine per litre of blood, that's 14 times the limit for the main metabolite of cocaine. Also 2.3mcg of Delta 9 THC per litre.
https://www.shropshirestar.com/news/crime/2023/02/15/drugged-up-driver-w...
He copped a 23 month ban. Pitiful.
"the cabbie was unknowingly guilty"
Lloyd Baldwin should instead be telling cab drivers: "You are supposed to be professionals. Set an example - stay off your phone while operating powerful machinery or you deserve to get nicked".
Baldwin is reported as saying "I advised that it was probably a report from a cyclist or possibly a member of the public". Since when are cyclists not members of the public? It looks like another attempt to dehumanise cyclists by the leader of a motorists association.
You couldn't make this stuff up
https://twitter.com/Naughtycabbies/status/1625769883299618816
Logical explanation* is it's a case of religious devotion. He's just pulled over, turned the engine off of course and has pulled up a picture of a saint (I think that's a nimbus / halo?).
* to a lawyer
So professional drivers who are supposed to have the highest standards for safety are getting upset because cyclists with headcams are proving these same professional drivers are breaking the law on a regular basis? And this is the fault of the cyclists?
Did you miss the memo? It's always the cyclists' fault.
Well that makes a change from the.. "It wisnae me mister, a big boy did it and ran away."
Just the fact that they feel the need to warn their membership speaks volumes about what proportion of cabbies are likely to play with their phones...
After. 3.5 years of daily cycle to work in London I'd say 98% of LTDA members were professional. The other 2%, not so much but still better than the average London driver. Phones a general problem, as evidenced by @CyclingMike et al. I recommend Air Horns that will cut through ICE and phone inattention. Sounding like a Truck even scares Trucks!
It must be the 2% that sound like characters from The Sweeney, then.
Throwing the "you're a nonce" bomb is desperately low stuff.
The overwhelming majority of drivers are fine. The few that ain't cause upset every time they hit the streets.
this must be true because
1) we have some of the safest roads in the world
2) there is almost zero enforcement of shit driving
Therefore, the vast majority of drivers must really want to do the right thing.
Why would anyone who was using a black cab put up with their driver acting illegally?
Frankly if it was me (it won't be. I would rather walk than get a taxi anywhere), I would tell them to stop the cab and get out. I would also argue about payment and let them suggest they call the Police. That could be an interesting conversation.
Anyone who hasn't got a handfree kit and "needs" to use the phone whilst driving in this day and age is a moron.
While I agree completely with most of what you say, anyone who uses a hands-free phone is also a moron, as are the politicians who allow them to do so without making it illegal. The problem isn't holding the phone, it's the distraction caused by the call, so it doesn't matter whether the call is hands-free or not, the danger caused remains the same.
While I can see what you are saying, you could say the same amount talking in the car, kids in the back being an pain and singing along to the radio.
Its a difficult balance. Perhaps if you have an RTC while using the phone: hands free or not, then this should count against you?
No, it isn't the same, and all the research shows that.
I'd say that touch screen info-tainment systems are in a similar bracket. It's often very distracting to make even minor changes to controls with touch screen conpared to a button or other physical control.
Yep: https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/policy-engagement/files/2019/01/Talking-on-th...
I am surprised by that. However, if you say so then who am I to disagree.
This was just "received wisdom" for me - good to ask the question. Aquick Google shows there is indeed some research on this (just the top few):
The American Psychological association: Drivers Make More Errors When Talking On Cell Phone than To a Passenger
Hands-free devices as distracting as hand-held devices (Open University / University of Sussex)
Why research around distraction caused by mobile phones and devices may be resisted and what to do about it (Open university).
...and others
Talking to passengers does not use the same part of the brain. Passengers go with the ebb and flow of traffic and road conditions so keep quiet when required.
Meet my (non driving) mother in law..
Martin?
You would be foolish to accept anything anyone says without confirmation.
Kids fighting in the back is likely more distracting than a hands free phone call, but obviously they will never legislate that multiple children cannot travel in a car with a single adult.
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