Sydney: Helmet Cam Captures Road Rage Against Cyclist

Posted by admin on 11/6/07 in Cyclist Incidents, Featured, Share the Road, Traffic Safety Issues

From Sydney IndyMedia: Helmet Cam Captures Road Rage Against Cyclist

A helmet mounted video camera carried by a Sydney cyclist has caught a road rage incident by a car driver, highlighting the harrassment that cyclists face on our roads on a daily basis.

Related: Critical Mass to Ride Harbour Bridge in November | Wheels of Justice | Vote 4 Cycling

The video incident ocurred on Friday, 26 Oct 2007, at about 9:15 am on Victoria Road on the cyclist’s way to work. The video camera, mounted on the cyclist’s helmet, recorded the interchange between the motorist and cyclist. Although the sound is patchy the video provides a graphic story of motorist road rage. Many cyclists can tell similar stories about road rage and aggressive and abusive drivers.

The cyclist described the incident:
“Here am beeped by a black van. When I catch up 20 seconds later, I ask whats the problem. He’s busy talking on a phone (hand free) so we trade hand signals. I fake a spit on he car, and ride off. 2 minutes later he uses his horn again, cuts me off (I slap the side of his van). He turns the corner, gets out and we have a standoff (he is to close for the camera).”

After the first brief interaction, the driver cut in front of the cyclist dangerously, then did a left turn into a side street and stops. He then gets out of his car shouting at the cyclist and approaching so close that he is not in camera frame. He pushes the cyclist while shouting abuse, and then turns around and walks back to his car.

The incident is witnessed by another driver who is seen on camera offering to be a witness.

According to the cyclist in a post on the Sydney Critical Mass list the incident was reported on the police assistance line who advised that a report should be made in person at Balmain Police Station. The matter was duly reported at Balmain police station with rego number (SJP-333) and vehicle and driver description. The cyclist was told that the rego number did not match the vehicle description on their system (A red mazda).

The cyclist returned later with still images from the video of the car, number plate and driver and was told by a police constable that they will ring the driver to warn warn him of is behavior. There was no concern expressed that the rego details did not match the details on their system.

As the number of cyclists on the roads increase due to peak oil, traffic authorities need to target driver behaviour with education programs. While most drivers behave in sensible and polite fashion, it is the small minority who abuse their use of a license to driving dangerous equipment at speed, and abuse and intimidate fellow road users and their rights.

The media must also bare the blame for inciting road rage with repeated articles stirring up driver hatred of cyclists and sometimes encouraging road rage attacks. The Wheels of Justice continues to highlight examples of poor journalistic practice and incitement of road rage, the most recent piece by columnist John Birmingham in the Brisbane Times expressing a wish that he had a ‘Metal Storm’ weapon fitted to his car to deal with cyclists. (Brisbane: He Died with a Metal Storm Slug in His Head – WOJ 31/10/07)

The RTA has produced a television add (Youtube) as part of a campaign to target speeding which is a start. Simon Jardak engaged in road rage after a woman made a “small penis” hand gesture made popular by this add. He threw a bottle at her, which cost him a conviction and a $400 fine for maliciously destroying or damaging property. (‘Small penis’ gesture ‘provokes road rage’ – news.com.au 13/10/07)

The above case is an example of road rage against another vehicle driver. How often have the police acted in incidents against cyclists or pedestrians to the point of court action and convictions? The police need to adopt a zero tolerance policy with regard to road rage irrespective of who is on the receiving end. Until they take action against agressive and bullying road users, as in the case of Simon Jardak, incidents of road rage against cyclists and pedestrians will continue with impunity.

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7 Comment(s)

JG | Dec 18, 2007 | Reply

I must say that that some drivers have little respect for bikes on the road, bikes deserve the same respect as cars….. so long as they abide by those same road rules. There is nothing worse that getting caught behind a bike doing 30km an hour, getting past him in a safe manner only to have that same bike go through the middle of traffic at a stop light or similar and then be forced to get around him again 5 minutes later as he continues to slow traffic up.

I ride bikes and love to do so, however certain bike riders have to realise that they will never be treated with respect on the road so long as they choose to break basic road rules.

If I thought some bike rider or anyone else for that matter, spat on my car (whether pretending to or not) then I would react the same way.
A lot of this rage against bikes would stop if bike riders abided by the road rules when on the roads.
.Prerequisite. | Jan 27, 2008 | Reply

The above comment by JG is one example of the Culture of Gross Impatience that is characteristic of modern Westernized states. “There is nothing worse than getting caught behind a bike doing 30km an hour”
Nothing worse? I assume this is a figure of speech. Do you know what’s worse than having your short term interests delayed briefly by a cyclist? The answer, among many things, is global warming.
It’s this Culture of Impatience that inspires motorists to act aggressively toward a cyclist riding down the road.
Instead of impatiently honking (a form of audio assault that puts a cyclist in danger by scaring her/him while trying to balance their lives on two wheels) why don’t you thank a cyclist for transporting themselves without dirtying your air and polluting our environment. Thank them for making your life and the lives of future generations healthier for all.

In this Global Warming Era its time for all of us, especially those in comfortable Western states, to re-adjust our lifestyles and re-define our priorities.
Motorist aggression, hegemony, and domination over cyclists, inspired by gross impatience, scares and prevents people from becoming cyclists.
Instead of losing your patience over a cyclist being sustainable why don’t you leave your house to commute or go to the store a little earlier so that you’re not put in a position where a cyclist riding down the road will make you a late (by 15 seconds to 2 minutes).

…”he continues to slow traffic up.”
Cyclists ARE traffic. By ‘traffic’ you must be referring to automobile traffic.

“certain bike riders have to realise that they will never be treated with respect on the road so long as they choose to break basic road rules.”
I believe this may be partially true at most.
First of all,
while cyclists in California are legally entitled to full use of the lane and are regularly denied that right in practice by motorists, the legal system and the urban design of cities does not faciliate a culture of equal rights for motorists and cyclists. For example, we’re not allowed to use freeways and we don’t have any bike-only freeways of our own. If we did there would be alot more cyclists in our society.

While cyclists and motorists should have some equal rights (such as legal entitlement to full use of the lane, at the very least) it’s not really possible to have complete equal rights since bikes and cars are dramatically different vehicles.
Automobiles are 3,000lb vehicles with an incredible physical power to kill others. Bikes are 26lb vehicles that do not have the ability to kill others on impact, with the exception of extremely rare circumstances.

In California, a cyclist that runs a stop sign is fined the same as a motorist that runs a stop sign. But what really poses a greater physical and fatal threat to society?

I believe there should be a third way or a third class; (The first being pedestrians, the second being motorists, and the third being cyclists). If we had a bike only lane (similar to the many freeways built for motorists) as they do in Seattle, Portland, and Vancouver B.C. then that cyclist would never have to run that stop sign because he/she wouldn’t need to be on that road in the first place.
Until then, i believe, in this global warming era, cyclists should be given leniency in such circumstances. We need to create incentives for cyclists and not expect them to uphold every vehicle code and regulation that was designed with the motorist in mind.

Most importantly, as long as a culture of impatience exists some motorists will continue to deny cyclists respect. The psychological state that comes to a person when behind the wheel of a 3,000lb vehicle that can be quickly turned into a weapon is a whole other story. When driving a car on the road motorists temporarily have more power than they normally do in society. Power trips exist. This is not a myth.

The logic behind your statement ([cyclists] “will never be treated with respect on the road so long as they choose to break basic road rules”) IS not a myth.

Motorist aggression and disrespect towards cyclists is a more complex process. You make it seem as if its a calculated form of revenge on cyclists that ‘break basic road rules.’
.Prerequisite. | Jan 27, 2008 | Reply

Follow up to my previous post:
Mis-type:
“The logic behind your statement ([cyclists] “will never be treated with respect on the road so long as they choose to break basic road rules”) IS not a myth.”

The last words should read ‘IS a myth.’

To add to the 3rd to last paragraph with the ending sentence reading ‘Power trips exist’, I would like to remind readers of the reality of road rage. How do you explain road rage? Why do people become so violent in response to minor incidences such as forgetting to use a turning signal or towards a person who sits for over 3 seconds at an intersection light turned from red to green?
Is this because of the extreme impersonalization of the experience of driving a car and sitting behind a windshield of glass and metal? A “windshield perspective” of the world can be a dangerous and unhappy place where someone who yields to a pedestrian at an intersection instantly becomes your enemy and inspires violence and aggression. Pedestrians don’t flip out and go crazy like this when walking down the sidewalk. People on foot (without cars) tend to be more courteous.
For many people, as soon as they’re in control of 3,000lbs of high-speed tank-like metal they become corrupted, selfish, greedy, impatient, rude, violent, and dangerous; the term ‘animal’ does not describe the behavior of these people, such as the person, caught on camera, who harassed and assaulted a cyclist for riding down the road.

And finally, a question for JG:
In regards to my statement, ‘Motorist aggression and disrespect towards cyclists is a more complex process. You make it seem as if its a calculated form of revenge on cyclists that ‘break basic road rules’’, I’d like to ask you a question.
When you or another motorist acts disrespectful towards a cyclist are you holding that cyclist accountable for the ‘basic road rule’ breaking that others cyclists, in your opinion, have committed?
To me it sounds like you’re justifying motorist bullying of cyclists because some cyclists in the past have broken ‘basic road rules.’

As a cyclist are you suggesting that I should be subject to aggression, bullying, and disrespect because a different cyclist in the past rolled a stop sign near you?
Sounds like a dangerous and violent form of stereotyping.
cam | Mar 2, 2008 | Reply

JG, I think your post is a classic example of over-analysis – or pehraps a lack of analysis? Most cyclists also own cars, so trying to infer that cyclists are the “goodies” and motorists are the “baddies” is a bit silly.

Try being a pedestrian, like me, who lives and works in a major city and has little use for bikes or cars. I have to say the rudeness and arrogance of cyclists – who insist on needlessly riding on my footpath – is my main concern.
Duncan | Mar 11, 2008 | Reply

So JG is saying that next time I’m riding and someone spits on me I’m justified in assaulting them? I’ll keep that in mind.
Charles | Apr 25, 2008 | Reply

Actually JG, I would describe as manifestly rude a driver who overtakes me while I’m doing 30kph, gets barely in front of me, and then stops and blocks the road. I’ve had that happen plenty of times, and ask myself what their problem is? Are they on a power trip or just arrogant idiots? Wouldn’t do it to a slow truck driver would you?

As for the stereotype of bikes being slow though, this morning my trip to work, for the most part on the hard shoulder of a 100kph highway, included a friendly honk from a bus driver I know…contiuing on my pathetically slow and yet amazingly law-abiding way I passed him stuck in traffic….a mere 12km further on.

The bus service runs non-stop. If I had to get that bus I’d have to leave home 10 minutes earlier, the trip time would be about the same, and with the lack of flexibility the bus has if I missed it I’d be late for work.

So I’m cycling 45km a day just going to and from work, am healthy though frequently hungry, losing weight all the time, superfit, have a low level of stress and hopefully will live an extra 10 years and see my daughter be married with children.

As for the slander of “certain bike riders have to realise that they will never be treated with respect on the road so long as they choose to break basic road rules”, which ones are you referring to, because along with “I ride bikes and love to do so” it sounds a lot like saying “some of my best friends are jewish/black/asian, but…”
James | Sep 29, 2009 | Reply

I have a simple solution to all this.

1) A clear concerted education campaign explaining to people including the police the rights and responsibilities of cyclists.

2) Then Plain clothed police with helmet cameras gathering evidence with helmet camera’s and finning or prosecuting anyone who breaks the law. As long as they fine or prosecute all road users equally, the roads will be safer for all.

I would like to say that I think in the main, that if the law was applied properly the motorists would suffer more under such a scheme because they dont know the rules of the road.