Mad van driver by ED station.

[Concerned motorist]

Did anyone see the lunatic white van driver at the lights outside East Dulwich station about half an hour ago (17.20)? I was in the Renault Clio right in front of the lights. After tooting me for not leaving the light fast enough (there were pedestrians) he tailgated me up Dog Kennel Hill, round Grove Hill, down Bromar (I think) trying to ram me. Managed to lose him after a relatively long chase.

Have called the police. If anyone saw and managed to get a reg that would be great.

It was a tall white van, probably a transit but it might have been a Mercedes. The driver was a tall black guy in a navy beanie and navy overalls.

I know this because when I stopped the junction of Bromar and Pytchley he got out and ran at my car. That's when I accelerated off and lost him.

[wulfhound]

You weren't able to get the plates? Only reason I ask is that a friend had a van of that description stolen not far away last week. Though the blighters have probably switched the plates by now anyway.

[Concerned motorist]

No, didn't get the plates. Was too busy driving one handed while trying to call the police.

[Andy_Cawdell]

It must be something in the water - I yelled at a motorist who did not make a signal when I was turning my bike into Northcross Road and almost hit me as a result. From what I heard behind me he did a three point turn to the sound of others hooting, overtook me, wound down his window and yelled at me and when I rode past, got out of his car and ran down the road after me.

I would not quote his language in this forum but suffice to say he was questioning my parentage and suggesting various sexual activities I might indulge in

[Zebedee Tring]

When a driver behaves like this, just keep calm and say to him "willy problem" (assuming that the driver is male). As however the truth hurts, he may try to kill you!

[Jacqui5254]

Zebedee Tring Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> When a driver behaves like this, just keep calm

> and say to him "willy problem" (assuming that the

> driver is male). As however the truth hurts, he

> may try to kill you!

Seriously? !!! Maybe this attitude is why some males make disgusting hand gestures at female drivers for little reason.

Unbelievable.

[JDR]

Yikes, that's frightening! The only time anything similar happened to me I was turning on to a street with a local (open) police station on it and stopped outside. You sound like you were very canny about how to lose him. Well done, horrible that people get so het up about such minor things.

[uncleglen]

I am getting heartily sick of people pulling out in front of me on roundabouts and waving their hand as if to thank me- whilst I'm slamming my brakes on....fyi you are supposed to give way to traffic coming from your right on the roundabout.

[Zebedee Tring]

Zebedee Tring Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> When a driver behaves like this, just keep calm

> and say to him "willy problem" (assuming that the

> driver is male). As however the truth hurts, he

> may try to kill you!

Jacqui, my criticism was directed at violent and/or abusive MALE drivers who frighten or insult other drivers, especially female drivers. I thought that this was obvious. In fact it was a female friend of mine who came up with the idea, with the positive approval of many other women.

I do think that some men who have a problem with their manhood (and not just the size of their genital organs) behave like this. It's of course totally unacceptable.

[Jacqui5254]

Hi Zebedee Tring, I did understand that it was aimed at male drivers and was responding as one of the very sort of women drivers you point out are on the receiving end. But, as a female who has had nasty unpleasant hand gestures from male drivers over what they perceived as criticism [eg me pressing the horn when I been cut up or someone not indicating and me nearly hitting them], I would not want to end up trading nasty sexual insults as a form of acceptable communication. I wouldn't dream of challenging someone's manhood as a way of tell him his driving is shit. Nor do I think it would lead to them improving their driving skills!

On a practical note, I think it's time drivers had to sit regular driving test refreshers. Too many drivers have lost sight of what proper, good driving is expected, eg, what uncleglen said about drivers forgetting who'se right of way it is on a roundabout.

A lot of people get in their cars and drive forward. All the stuff about checking mirrors, leaving enough space for cars to open their doors, making sure the zebra crossing is clear before driving over it, who's right of way it is etc etc etc is lost over 10/20/50 years of driving.

However, I do appreciate your support for the nastiness dished out to female drivers from time to time.

The sooner we all recognise that our driving leaves much to be desired, the better.

[Earl Aelfheah]

Sounds really scary, hope you're not too shaken.

[grace3]

It's usually a certain type of person , 'little black VW or BMW' who cuts you up, usually no problem as long as you are a calm type of person and don't jump out at the next lights looking for a row. Most cars can be locked from inside so just get the old mobile camera out during confrontations.

[happyrabbit]

I've gone for the dashcam approach, which was a difficult choice since I'm not a fan of the UK massive over surveillance society.

Many months ago I reached the point where I decided if it's needed I'm going to have my own footage to the police.

The final straw was a cyclist a few months back who ran a red light at a 4 way junction attempting to pass between me and the car in front, who were the 4th and 5th cars of a stream going through a green light at around 20 mph.

Having managed to avoid him (fab response from the guy behind me), bike guy then wants to get into it, yelling he is gonna call the poilce. He seemed a bit taken aback when I said, 'ok go for it, I'll wait right here'. Naturally at that point he proceeds to ride off, threating me with this and that..

Sure, the junction had CCTV all over it and red light cameras, so if it had gone bad in the end I would have been ok...but... I have no interested in waiting 12 months paying for lawyers waiting to be proved correct. I wanna get that sorted out 5 mins after the event, as I'm sure most people would.

I'm not on a tirade again bikes here, that was just the final annoyance. Could be a car, bike, or a horse for that matter.

I drive all over the world and in some crazy places, however imo the UK is one of the most agreesive places to drive right now.

For me it was time to take a proactive and protective approach.

[rodneybewes]

Jacqui5254 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Hi Zebedee Tring, I did understand that it was

> aimed at male drivers and was responding as one of

> the very sort of women drivers you point out are

> on the receiving end. But, as a female who has

> had nasty unpleasant hand gestures from male

> drivers over what they perceived as criticism , I

> would not want to end up trading nasty sexual

> insults as a form of acceptable communication. I

> wouldn't dream of challenging someone's manhood as

> a way of tell him his driving is shit. Nor do I

> think it would lead to them improving their

> driving skills!

>

> On a practical note, I think it's time drivers

> had to sit regular driving test refreshers. Too

> many drivers have lost sight of what proper, good

> driving is expected, eg, what uncleglen said about

> drivers forgetting who'se right of way it is on a

> roundabout.

> A lot of people get in their cars and drive

> forward. All the stuff about checking mirrors,

> leaving enough space for cars to open their doors,

> making sure the zebra crossing is clear before

> driving over it, who's right of way it is etc etc

> etc is lost over 10/20/50 years of driving.

> However, I do appreciate your support for the

> nastiness dished out to female drivers from time

> to time.

>

> The sooner we all recognise that our driving

> leaves much to be desired, the better.

I don't think it's a question of ability, it's a question of attitude and I don't think test refreshers help with that. People know how to behave when they are under scrutiny. Then it's back to normal. The key is to up the punishments - higher levels of fine, more points on the licence and more bans for bad driving, more speed and bus lane/junction cameras. Unfortunately doing any of this now falls under the banner of "the war on motorists" so bugger all will be done.

[grace3]

'The most agressive place IMO' quite agree , the gobs on people around East Dulwich are something else, is everyone depressed in this area?

[ednewmy]

Using the pedestrian crossing near the Constituitional Club on East Dulwich Grove the other day a van came roaring down the road. I decided not to start going across just in case he was one of those motorists who don't believe in that pedestrian crossing (they are unbelievably many in number). He fortunately did pull to a stop, albeit half covering the crossing. I walked across and the driver proceeded to wind his window down and hurl abuse at me for not thanking him for stopping.

Boggles the mind what these people are thinking.

[Curmudgeon]

I thought it was common courtesy to nod or raise a hand to thank a driver for stopping at a zebra. Vie certainly taught my children to always acknowledge that drivers have stopped

[Mugglesworth]

If you are a driver who nods and waves at cars who are waiting at Give Way signs on minor roads while you drive down the main road, then I can understand why you might expect pedestrians at crossings to behave in a similar manner. If not, I'd wonder why you expect gratitude for simply obeying the law.

[Beulah]

It's not discretionary for motorists to stop at zebra crossings - pedestrians have priority.

I know what you mean though and often I will give an acknowledgement to those who do stop.

However in the above case the driver certainly didn't deserve any kind of thanks - I may well have told him what I thought about his mother if he'd done that to me

[JohnL]

Pedestrians in the road ALWAYS have priority whatever the circumstance and however irresponsible they have been.

Or do you not stop ??

[Zebedee Tring]

If a driver swears at you when you are crossing on a pedestrian crossing, then just walk across the crossing as slowly as possible so that he (normally "he") will have to wait that bit longer because of his rudeness. The danger is that a maniac like that might just move off and accelerate into you while you are still crossing.

So many drivers must be suffering from serious lack of self esteem if they behave like this.

[Concerned motorist]

Yes Zebedee, that is the danger. It was My not leaving the pedestrian crossing fast enough that so enraged the ahole.

[MissMadMoo]

Just so i understand, we're looking for the following:

'A tall white van, probably a transit but it might have been a Mercedes. The driver was a tall black guy in a navy beanie and navy overalls'

Very unique, Police should have no trouble tracking this down!

[Jeremy]

But if anyone saw a van/driver matching that description, driving like a maniac in the area described, at the time given... then maybe we're onto something.

[ednewmy]

I will usually thank drivers who stop (even though as it's been pointed out, they are simply having to obey the law and really, they shouldn't expect gratitude for that) but in cases where the driver has clearly expressed through their lunatic driving actions that they are on so put out by having to stop for 10 seconds, then I'm afraid I employ the passive-aggressive-non-thanking approach.