Got Clipped by a Van but I'm fine....

Stuart Ablett

Member
Messages
15,917
Location
Tokyo Japan
Today on my ride around the palace I got clipped by the mirror of a van.

Here is where it happened....
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... at about 9:15AM this morning.

I was doing maybe 27Km/h this guy went by me very fast, and his mirror clipped my arm, not much of a hit, but it did make contact.

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The van, with the company name and phone number I also found their address etc.

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Van's license plate

You can see the mirror on the side of the van is not very big, so if that hit my arm, you can imagine how close the guy came to hitting me, scared the pooh out of me I can tell you. I happened just at the apex of the corner, I was maybe 1 meter from the curb, I know this is a bad spot, many drivers clip this corner, so I don't, this usually makes them go around me, but this guy decided not to.
At the next light I pulled up beside him, and I politely asked him to drive more carefully, as he almost knocked me from my bike. He made a rude gesture and then a dismissive one, and started to ignore me. I asked him if his delivery was more important than my life? Again rude gesture and then ignore, so I got out my iPhone and took some pictures, while doing this he was really angry, I thought he was going to get out of the van at one point. When I tried to take a picture of him, he hid his face like a coward....

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... Then I told him I'd be contacting his boss. At this point he stopped being so rude and tried to ask for forgiveness, make the praying hands gesture, I told him that if he had started with a "Gomen" or sorry, that would have been fine, but as he was dismissive and rude, I'd not be in contact with his company. When the light turned green he quickly got out of dodge.

Now I don't want to make a phone call, that is not worth much IMHO, I want to print out the four pics above and write down what happened in Japanese, and send it to the company by mail. I want to do this anonymously, because if the guy gets fired or something I don't want him coming back to me, don't need that kind of trouble. I look at it this way, six more inches to the left and I'd most likely be in a hospital or worse, if I had a company with drivers out doing deliveries with the name of my company on the door, I'd sure want to know if they were driving dangerously. If this was a one off thing and the guy was just having a bad day, then the penalty to him at work should be minor, but if this is the most recent of many complaints, then maybe he should be working in the storehouse not doing deliveries.

Am I being unreasonable?

Am I making too much of this?

Thoughts...?
 
He was rude and obnoxious as well as put your life in danger. I'd call the company ask for a CEO or equivalent that you have in Japan. Explain the ordeal. Then explain you have the pictures of the van and plate number and again the reaction of the driver. If they are going to do anything, maybe they will ask you to fax them to them or email them to them. Either way, bet this isn't his first go around with a bike, also doesn't sound like a very compassionate person. Make the call. I am so glad to hear you are okay. Inches, scary, it is the season of miracles!
 
Thanks guys.
My cycling friends here have encouraged me to report this guy to the cops, the fact that his van touched me while in motion makes this a traffic incident, and that he fled the scene puts him in a bad spot, if I wanted to press charges. I understand that what will happen is I'll make the report, I'll include the pics I took as well, then the cops will go his place of work and inquire as to what happened. I'll ask that they keep my name out of it, I don't wish to press charges, but I do wish to make a point, and then if in a week this same guy actually hits someone, the prior incident will make sure he is dealt with strongly.
Cheers!
 
I would press the charges Stu as his behavior following it warrents it in my opinion. Guys like that should be taken off the streets and if the last guy he hit ( assuming with his behavior that he has done it before) pressed charges then maybe he wouldn't have hit you. Next time who ever he hits may not be so lucky and if the guy flees the scene ( like he did with you) how will they catch him? You just happened to have the phone camera the next guy may not think of it. Just my opinion.
 
was there a bike lane? in our state they have them in places and vehicles are not allowed in them.. if you were on the street then what are the regs for your area in that regards.. as for his actions ,, well not everyone has the proper etiquette as some of the rest of us..just consider the source. glad you didnt suffer any physical injury..
 
No bike lanes, just about zero, I think something like 0.001% of roads in Japan have bike lanes, it is a joke. Recently they changed the laws forcing cyclists off the sidewalks, and the carnage is up, big surprise.... :rolleyes:
I'm going to talk to the cops tomorrow, the rules and laws here are not the same as in Canada or the US, so just remember that.

Cheers!
 
the rules and laws here are not the same as in Canada or the US, so just remember that.

That is one reason why I didn't reply right when I read this. You are there, you know the culture and laws. it is hard for me to give you an answer to a question, when I don't know the area. Either way, I would be upset about being tagged.
 
I've been to Japan and of coarse Stu is correct. It is certainly much different than the States. I couldn't drive over there and wouldn't want to. I let my son and d-i-l do all the driving. They had been there a while and got along fine. What surprises me is the attitude Stu address. All the people I encountered while I visited were the most respectful people I have encountered anywhere. I guess we all have good and bad in our countries. Glad you are okay. That is the most important part.
 
Glad you're OK Stu. Funny how some folks were raised without parents and behave that way. My knee-jerk reaction is concern for the other guy and apologies for my part in it if at fault. The reaction that it was "no big deal" or that "if I don't look at you you can't see me and it never happened" is foreign to me. Take responsibility for you actions, good and bad. If more people did there would be a smoother road for us all to travel. Alas, many a person who is courteous and thoughtful in other situations becomes a bit of an fool when behind the wheel.
 
Glad to see you weren't seriously hurt, Stu. You have much better self-control that I do. I would have removed the offending mirror with my boot (or cycling shoe, as the case my be) before I even looked at the guy. I've always figured the best defense is to make the other guy think I'm absolutely nuts. :bonkers: :D
 
Glad you are ok, but this guy needs to learn from this. I suspect he is the type of individual who will only learned if it is forced upon him by the employer or law enforecement--heck, it may take both to get his attention.
 
After action report, it went like this.....

Stu: I'd like to report a traffic incident, can you get a detective who speaks English please?

Cop at front desk: grunt

Twenty minutes later said detective came out to the desk, and he did not tell me his name.

Stu: I'd like to report a traffic incident.

Cop: OK what happened?

Stu: Yadda Yadda Yadda, shows pictures.

Cop: So.... you were not knocked down? Was your bike damaged?

Stu: No sir.

Cop: I'm not sure what you want me to do......?

Stu: What can you do?

Cop: (being very honest) Next to nothing, it would come down to your word against his, and as there was no harm done to you, as far as the law is concerned.... very difficult to proceed. Do you want to sue them for money? (I think he thought this was what I was after)

Stu: No, not in anyway, I'd just like the company to be aware of the actions of their employee.

Cop: OK I'll write this up, but we have no way of proving who exactly was driving the van, so even if someone is driving the van and hits a cyclist in the future, we cannot prove it was the same guy, so it will have no effect. Still it is good that you took the time to report the incident.

Stu: So that is it?

Cop: Yes I'm afraid it is, what more do you want me to do?

Stu: What about me sending the company a description of the incident, or even a copy of the report?

Cop: How about this, I'll call the company and talk to the boss?

Stu: Thank you that would be great.

Cop gets on a phone, a land line and calls the company, talks to the boss. The cop is very polite and just informs the boss that an incident was reported and that the police now have a record of it. Please tell the driver of that van to be more careful, thank you.

Cop: The boss was very concerned and wanted to thank you, but I told him you wished to remain anonymous (which I do).

The cop then asked if we were done, I said "Yes" and we started to leave. In passing he told me that with the increase in people riding bicycles on the crowded streets, there are a lot more accidents, and this is really a problem for the cops. He told me that the bosses don't really understand what the problem is, and the cops on the street have no tools to deal with it, but reporting an incident does help, as it gives them data. He also told me that if I'm ever knocked off a bicycle to call the cops and an ambulance, never just shake it off and get back on your bicycle.

I came away satisfied, maybe not the instant satisfaction of dragging the van driver out of his van and.... :rolleyes: but satisfied. I felt the cop was fair, I got his name and his number. I think it really helped that I went to the local cop shop, the one nearest my home, as when I mentioned my liquor shop the guy knew who I was right away, not too many white guys running liquor shops in the area I guess.

Cheers!
 
Back in the 80's when I used to ride a couple of hundred miles a week it was acceptable to whack an offending vehicle on the fender or hood with our brass headed Silca frame pump. Wellllll it seemed like a good idea back then, hahaha.

Two years ago here in So Cal there was a doctor who pulled in front of some bicyclists in his car and slammed his brakes on seriously injuring two cyclists. He earned a 5 year term for conviction "of mayhem; assault with a deadly weapon, his car; battery with serious injury; and reckless driving causing injury." There were also police reports of him doing similar actions in the months prior. Article

I think you took the right actions in getting this incident reported. And you are lucky not to have been really winged by that driver.

Cheers,
 
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No bike lanes, just about zero, I think something like 0.001% of roads in Japan have bike lanes, it is a joke. Recently they changed the laws forcing cyclists off the sidewalks, and the carnage is up, big surprise....

Glad you're okay, Stu!

Plenty of people here (drivers and cyclists) are ignorant of the laws already on the books. Drive defensively!
 
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