tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post8655916644498734723..comments2024-03-28T20:30:35.448+13:00Comments on Confessions of an Ageing Motorcyclist: Paranoia or are they REALLY out to get you???Geoff Jameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-17777349777063824682012-08-10T17:03:52.200+12:002012-08-10T17:03:52.200+12:00Thanks Karen,
If it had been a "boy racer&quo...Thanks Karen,<br />If it had been a "boy racer" with a lowered Japanese car and cap on sideways, I'd have had no problem calling the cops. 3 offences and they get their cars crushed!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-55486367426490105062012-08-10T13:13:07.666+12:002012-08-10T13:13:07.666+12:00Kudos to you for making sure the driver of the ute...Kudos to you for making sure the driver of the ute realized he/she had been noticed. Too many times the drivers are young and "invincible" ... they often need some reality check to let them know it isn't okay before it is fatal. I hope he/she takes it to heart.VStar Ladyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13634216576989421497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-77886512947721183292012-08-05T10:18:16.158+12:002012-08-05T10:18:16.158+12:00Hi Lori and thanks!
Very perceptive and we've ...Hi Lori and thanks!<br />Very perceptive and we've discussed that very topic without reaching a definite conclusion. If it was as bad as in this particular case, I'd like to think that we would have reported it to the police because doing nothing would have weighed heavily on the conscience.<br /><br />If the person involved was fined heavily and incurred demerit points on their licence (or lost it in an extreme case), it would hopefully still give them pause for thought. However, the outcome might not be as good as some retraining. Not sure if the courts can order this but I might be inclined to ask if they could. It's unfortunately one of those situations which has all sorts of shades of grey rather than a black and white solution but at least doing something is better than doing nothing. It was more stressful that I first thought trying to work out what might be the best solution in this instance.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-22790549768129247562012-08-04T14:11:03.125+12:002012-08-04T14:11:03.125+12:00I think you did the right thing. It doesn't h...I think you did the right thing. It doesn't have to be a rant to the employer, but pointing out something that is a liability to their company. This didn't have to be a situation where the employer might have been looking for a last reason to get ride of someone. It could be that the employer needs to know before they are sued by a family that was affected by this driver. Saving tons of time, money, and grief for many people.<br /><br />My next thought though...what if this was a personal ute and not a company one? What would/could you have done if that was just someone driving their personal vehicle down the road? It is always easier if the vehicle is part of a company and you feel like you can get someone to look at it. Not the same when it isn't.BeemerGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15239761274177026636noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-71105707857885535912012-08-02T13:21:26.279+12:002012-08-02T13:21:26.279+12:00Thanks on all counts Sonja!
Just to add a final n...Thanks on all counts Sonja!<br /><br />Just to add a final note, I had an email apology from the offending driver just a few hours ago. I guess he was leaned on but nonetheless, it did seem sincere so I wrote back in a similarly positive way.<br /><br />You'll know that it's not always easy living with a pedantic engineer and I know that there are times when Jennie would cheerfully use a carving knife for another purpose but that doesn't mean that I'm not still crazy about her!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-74425167304171478962012-08-02T13:09:30.430+12:002012-08-02T13:09:30.430+12:00Glad to hear that the outcome was satisfactory, an...Glad to hear that the outcome was satisfactory, and glad that probably lives were saved by taking the right action of all parties involved.<br /><br />And congrats to 40 years of marriage. Actually, sadly enough I don't know a lot of couples that made it that long... RESPECT!SonjaMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12389245948579828531noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-29835435885023311762012-08-02T09:32:26.636+12:002012-08-02T09:32:26.636+12:00Hi Invicta,
That's a shame. When I posted the...Hi Invicta,<br />That's a shame. When I posted the pics on a local bike forum, I had a member who was a cop get in touch offering to take it further, as did one of my riding partners who is a highway patrol officer. In the end, I decided not to go down that road because the person's company did the right thing.<br /><br />Thanks for dropping by. I see you're from Kent. Got married in Hildenborough exactly 40 years and 4 days ago!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-5301152644676733542012-08-02T07:12:43.869+12:002012-08-02T07:12:43.869+12:00Thanks for the inspirational reply Brenda! That...Thanks for the inspirational reply Brenda! That's a fantastic example to us all of why we should step up when we see really bad driving. Thanks so much for posting!Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-16602573172530709602012-08-02T02:47:50.822+12:002012-08-02T02:47:50.822+12:00Geoff, Tried that on many occasions but despite th...Geoff, Tried that on many occasions but despite the rash of UK "dob your neighbour" initiatives from the Govt, dangerous or outstanding cretinous driving isn't high on the agenda. Benefit cheats? Yep. <br /><br />Good that you got a response.InvictaMotohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03120151203680467913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-64255194126545282832012-08-01T23:14:49.959+12:002012-08-01T23:14:49.959+12:00Glad to hear you had a positive outcome from this ...Glad to hear you had a positive outcome from this Geoff. Your posting this has given me the courage to do similar the next time I come across something like it.<br /><br />I've just been to a presentation night for work (I work at the blood bank and once a year we treat the donors to a special night as a sign of our appreciation for everything they have given thoughtout the year) and one of our speakers was a guy who was hit by a car veering all over the road the same as your bloke, while riding in the outback miles from anywhere. He was lucky he was found not too long after by another car passing, he had severed a main artery and needed a ton of blood. As it was he lost a leg, but still rides :)<br /><br />I couldnt help but think, when I read about your outcome that you quite likely have helped save someone else from such a traumatic experience.<br /><br />Good on ya mate!!!Brendahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06395364582355269753noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-23725963895074558312012-08-01T13:36:17.751+12:002012-08-01T13:36:17.751+12:00To conclude this tale, I've just heard from th...To conclude this tale, I've just heard from the employee's company. For privacy reasons, I won't disclose details but it's fair to say that that the outcome was a good one for all parties.<br /><br />The main thing to draw from this event and ones which the posters have mentioned is that we don't have to put up with poor examples of driving and that with a bit of thought, everyone can get a win out of it (Although the offender might not see it that way immediately!)Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-75936516820973998422012-07-31T17:18:30.538+12:002012-07-31T17:18:30.538+12:00Hi Dar,
That's an excellent outcome that you m...Hi Dar,<br />That's an excellent outcome that you managed to negotiate and I hope that I'm as successful as you. A really positive result all round.<br /><br />I put the photos up on a local bike forum and most riders were really supportive. One of them took the "nobody was hurt so what's the big deal?" approach but there are morons everywhere. Another said I was following too closely but another member correctly pointed that my close-up photo was a zoomed-in crop of one of the original photos. That was good for a laugh! Thanks for your concern.....Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-49149834593867623712012-07-31T17:07:10.123+12:002012-07-31T17:07:10.123+12:00Geoff
That was horrifying! Good for you calling ...Geoff<br /><br /> That was horrifying! Good for you calling the employer, they have the right to know when an employee is driving badly and the resulting action is usually immediate. I had a situation in early July when a woman in a delivery truck cut me off, she turned left in font of me and when I gave her the hat the heck are you doing arm flail, she waved at me. That burned my bacon even more and spurred me to action, rather than call the local constabulary I called the delivery company and had a pleasant chat with the owner. I expressed that I did not want the driver to be I trouble or lose their job, I just wanted them to be more cognizant that motorcycles due to their small size move faster and are closer than they appear to be. Luckily the owner happened to be a rider and said they would have a talk with the driver. Bad driving reflects negatively on companies and should not be tolerated or acceptable. So if anyone is burning your beans over this ignore them, you did the right thing.Dar https://www.blogger.com/profile/14690180541358767168noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-17991869352278985622012-07-31T16:38:42.740+12:002012-07-31T16:38:42.740+12:00Do tell mate.....Do tell mate.....Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048736059922578612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-89994883385547894122012-07-31T15:08:37.724+12:002012-07-31T15:08:37.724+12:00No "probably" about it Rog! I'll be...No "probably" about it Rog! I'll be chasing up his company tomorrow. One of my mates who is a HWP officer based out of Pokeno has apprised me of the penalties which can be imposed and they're not to be taken lightly.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-37524201545720569872012-07-31T15:03:53.778+12:002012-07-31T15:03:53.778+12:00You probably no what I think Geoff!You probably no what I think Geoff!Rogerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12048736059922578612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-23226322341676828922012-07-31T14:32:05.485+12:002012-07-31T14:32:05.485+12:00Hi Keith!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Now y...Hi Keith!<br />Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Now you come to mention it, I guess that's an international trend linked with life's increasing pressures. I'm certainly not offering that as an excuse as it's so avoidable, especially with decent quality training. Thanks again for the insight - chilling, isn't it?Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-52649166783544892432012-07-31T14:23:59.381+12:002012-07-31T14:23:59.381+12:00Geoff,
It is outrageous how many examples of poor ...Geoff,<br />It is outrageous how many examples of poor driving I see on my daily commutes. When I drove on the limited access highways it was even worse. It seems driving has become something people do while doing something else: talking on the phone, eating, shaving, etc.<br /><br />Within the last month there have been motorcycles fatalities in accidents resulting from someone turning into the path of another vehicle. Sadly, lapses of judgment happen. More sadly, the culture of driving in the USA seems to encourage these lapses. By the way, I agree with your assessment: What you witnessed certainly doesn't appear to be a lapse, but rather evidence of a pattern.<br /><br />Thanks for sharing and it will be interesting to see what happens.<br />~kKeith - Circle Bluehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11992667666539622569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-48487155861741063362012-07-31T09:47:38.438+12:002012-07-31T09:47:38.438+12:00Bob,
Well good for you! I think that the main thi...Bob,<br />Well good for you! I think that the main thing we can take from all this is that we all have the power to do something about bad driving if we see something which is indefensible. This was my first but you're already down that track so well done indeed.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-3853308025809426032012-07-31T09:44:22.934+12:002012-07-31T09:44:22.934+12:00Cheers Brandy,
I think police statistics say that ...Cheers Brandy,<br />I think police statistics say that any given time, about 20% of motorists are impaired for whatever reason. That's pretty scary and a compelling reason to drive defensively.<br /><br />I'll give the employer a few days to work through the issue but if they don't contact me, I'll certainly be contacting them.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-63534975863361073192012-07-31T09:41:02.693+12:002012-07-31T09:41:02.693+12:00Hi Andrew,
Thanks for the comments. It will be in...Hi Andrew,<br />Thanks for the comments. It will be interesting where this ends up.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-15191712707095795562012-07-31T09:40:03.146+12:002012-07-31T09:40:03.146+12:00Gidday Jules,
Thanks mate. Got to agree with you...Gidday Jules,<br /><br />Thanks mate. Got to agree with you. I guess that the trick will be to exercise some judgement when deciding what's a lapse in judgement (which we all suffer from time to time)and what is clearly ingrained dangerous driving. I think it's pretty clear in this case.Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-7824962045356942292012-07-31T09:35:58.093+12:002012-07-31T09:35:58.093+12:00Hi Dave,
That might be splitting hairs! He'd ...Hi Dave,<br />That might be splitting hairs! He'd certainly broken the law and as he presumably doesn't have Mark Webber's reactions, it probably was "bad driving", haha. Got to agree with police everywhere being spread exceedingly thin.<br /><br />Excellent point you make about his employer. The scenario you describe may well be the correct one. If he's such a crap driver, what else is he equally sloppy at?Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-4147541422524237412012-07-31T05:31:35.863+12:002012-07-31T05:31:35.863+12:00Geoff:
I think you are right to do what you did. ...<b>Geoff:</b><br /><br />I think you are right to do what you did. I reported an offender to an employer, but without video evidence and they were going to do "something".<br /><br />I also had an aggressive/erratic driver and I followed them to their place of work and made sure they knew I was behind them. Having a GoPro "ready" seems the best option for us<br /><br />bob<br /><a href="http://www.wetcoastscootin.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Riding the Wet Coast</a><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/14805736@N04/" rel="nofollow">My Flickr</a> // <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/bobskoot" rel="nofollow">My YouTube</a>Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05258612401956399482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4341114511830074977.post-39422677506960630432012-07-31T04:17:46.890+12:002012-07-31T04:17:46.890+12:00Good for you and Jennie for sending the info to hi...Good for you and Jennie for sending the info to his employer. My first thoughts would be that he was either on his phone or drunk. Doubtful it was a medical emergency.<br /><br />It is good that the employer responded so quick, the last thing they want is that type of liability out there. If he is going to drive like an ass it is better he pays the consequences (ie - if he gets fired) than someone else pays with their life.<br /><br />I say good job Geoff.Trobairitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03453398807198746434noreply@blogger.com