Driver almost hit my daughter today.

[Nearmisstoday]

I'm trying to be careful with information here for obvious reasons.

Today I was walking down a narrow street with small pavements on each side. It was the kind of street you'd go about 10 mph max down because there are usually a lot of pedestrians walking down there. We saw a car coming down the road so I told my daughter to put her back against the wall and tuck herself in. DD is 5. I notice the car is actually speeding towards us, so shout to her to tuck in. Driver veers towards us and narrowly avoids hitting my DDs head by mm with the wing mirror. We were terrified to say the least. He really was that close and very fast, just kept coming.

Car stops down the road and man gets out. I shout that he almost hit us and he just shrugs. Other pedestrians shout to him that he almost hit a small child. He doesn't say anything, seems completely disinterested and just brushes it off and goes inside his house.

I'm in shock and adrenaline is pumping through my body so make a move to get home. Other pedestrians are asking us if we are okay as DD is crying. Home is only a few minutes walk away. Start walking up the hill and see him drive round the corner again about 5mins later with no care in the world. I'm angry now so I take a picture of his car with VRN and shout I'm reporting you for dangerous driving. That is literally all I say.

Got home and rang 101. Couldn't get through so reported online. Now sitting here feeling tearful at the fact he almost hit my DDs head and imagining the damage he could have done.

Not sure what I want from this thread, just need to share and ask if there is anything else I can do? this guy is a menace and could easily kill someone.

I've reported it once woh dash cam footage.

Just got a generic reply that they will note it down or something.

It's not on.

A few weeks ago I was driving up my street with my kids in the car.
And theres a car speeding hurtling down swerving right and left coming down the road.
By that time there wasnt anything I could do. No space to park and to turn anywhere. All I could do was continue to drive up and hope the fact that I'm driving normally means they can judge their distance and not hit me.

Luckily the drive past me. But in that moment I realised me and my kids are at the mercy of these idiots that drive like maniacs. It's only because everyone else drives well that they can drive like idiots. If everyone drove like them there would be no one way to judge any distances or swerve or overtake dangerously if everyone was doing it.

I felt like it wasnt safe to drive because of all these idiots. But then realised it would be even less safe as a pedestrian. At least in a car the car is providing a limited amount of protection.

I had a similar expeirence, OP, it's awful. This driver even had tbe cheek to open his window and yell at me, despite the fact he had been speeding in a 20 zone, rounding a blind corner and coming towards a busy junction where he'd most likely have to stop and should have been much slower on all of those counts.

It's terrifying to think what might have happened and the fact these twats don't
care and won't be scared by the incendent to drive better in future.

And also the police dont seem to care. Near misses dont count. They wont do anything even with dashcam footage.

I've reported dangerous driving a couple of times in the past, and both times I was encouraged to continue to do so. I think I was told that if they get more than one report then they can potentially prosecute based on our witness evidence alone.

I once witnessed an elderly driver missing a tire, basically just an empty space where the wheel was sending sparks and causing enough noise to wake the dead-he was totally oblivious and speeding. It was very early in the morning and I couldn't safely get close enough for specific details to report to police. I'm so glad your daughter wasn't struck by the car-what a horrible experience.

@Nearmisstoday

I've reported it online. It says it takes 24 hours to respond.

Has anyone ever reported dangerous driving?

It wouldn’t be classed as dangerous driving. It would be driving without due care and attention if anything. Unfortunately driving like a dick isn’t a specific offence, although it should be. I think the best you could hope for would be for the driver to be advised. Do you have details of witnesses. That would help.

The set up of the road sounds dangerous and not somewhere you’d walk a child, although you may have had to walk down there. I hope you and your daughter are ok. It must have been a horrible shock.

Call 101 again until you get through and let them know you filed it online too.

I've reported several bad drivers. Usually get a call back from a police officer who has found the person and had a word with them to watch how they drive as they've been spotted driving dangerously. It's really all they can do in those situations really as it's only my word against theirs. But I guess if they keep getting reports for the same driver something gets done then. I did report one person who was driving all over the space, swerving a lot. So stopped and let them know the person looked like they might be drunk. They stopped them at the next town and did all the tests on them, wasn't drunk or anything but clearly not paying enough attention. Hope they were after that.

I reported a driver once, but I had dashcam footage. The Police said they'd investigate but that they couldn't keep me updated. No idea what ever happened but I assume they got a warning. Hope you're okay.

I had to call 999 recently as there was a driver driving round the park on the footpath, convinced it was a main road. Very confused and refused to speak to the 999 person or stop driving, and then sped off on the wrong side of the road before the police arrived. I only had the reg number and with only that it was difficult to report to DVLA. I did let the council know who had knocked down the bollards in the park but never heard back. I just hope the police or the council caught her because there was no way she should have been driving.

@GreenFingersWouldBeHandy

I did once. They said they couldn't take any action without a witness and/or dash cam footage as it would just be my word against theirs. But obv if you were walking down the street, you won't have dash cam footage.

This was my experience too. I had the reg, make, model etc but they weren’t interested.

ring again and try to speak to 101.
emphasis age of driver, and that you think his eyesight may be failing.
try to keep calm when you speak to them.
say you live nearby and have to go down that road, and your daughter is now frightened.
that it was the driver's unconcerned attitude that you find most worrying; it is not a normal reaction.
www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-9772621/Police-5-years-referred-1-400-drivers-DVLA.html

Ong. We often have kunts racing’s down the road showing off. They Rev their engines . I always think something will
Happen.

If you feel certain, and after you've considered objectively, I would definitely progress this matter, in any way that you can, to try to save lives in future.

You know where he lives. That is fantastic. I would write to your MP and your local councillor. As a PP says, the safety of that road needs to be looked at, as well as the fitness to drive of this gentleman. I would certainly ask the DVLA for advice, at the least.

I have a horrible feeling that road safety is getting worse. One reason - I think the antics of scooter users is setting a terrible example to cyclists and now even motorists. I think all the changes with cycle paths and a feeling that we don't have rules anymore, just do what you think best, is causing a serious breakdown in road safety.

For example, the day after I witnessed a cyclist turning to give a pregnant woman a mouthful for daring to tell him he'd gone through a red light while she crossed, I saw a car stationery on the zebra when the lights were green for pedestrians. I pointed out to the driver, that we pedestrians couldn't see round him to see the Green Man, or check for illegal cyclists coming through, and he mumbled something about there having been a car in front of him when he got to the crossing. His demeanour suggested that he didn't think it worth thinking about pedestrian safety at all. He thought ' Nobody is going to check, or stop me'. It's terrible. Goodness knows what it must be like for walkers in rural areas where locals speed around tight bends on country roads, sometimes talking on their mobile phones.

I wonder if technology will be invented to capture all speeding. It comes to something when it seems that every individual ought to own the equivalent of a dashcam.

@Pythonesque

I've reported dangerous driving a couple of times in the past, and both times I was encouraged to continue to do so. I think I was told that if they get more than one report then they can potentially prosecute based on our witness evidence alone.

I think this may be correct- I’ve reported dangerous driving & police told me they’d get a car out to look (this is in London)

Sorry to hear about this scare, & glad you are ok. I think you have witnesses so might get somewhere

@Pythonesque

I've reported dangerous driving a couple of times in the past, and both times I was encouraged to continue to do so. I think I was told that if they get more than one report then they can potentially prosecute based on our witness evidence alone.

No they can't.

How would you like to be prosecuted because 2 people with absolutely no evidence made something up?

Thankfully it doesn't work like that.

I did have another family member there but he would be considered a minor so not sure whether he could be a witness.

The only outcome I want from this is an assessment done by the DVLA as to his suitability to hold a driving license and a warning from the police. That's it. Not sure I'll get those but I'm going to push as hard as I can.

If I don't hear anything back from the online reporting (which says they will respond in 24 hours) I'll phone 101 again.

He really isn’t a nice person.
I nearly hit a child before who ran out in front of me. I comforted him as he was scared and told him he must never run in the road like that. I felt awful after, I don’t know why just thought the worse.

Some people are just nasty inside.

We had a driver drive at my husband and 2 babies doing at least 60 in a 30 on the opposite side of the road deliberately and swerved last minute - the police just weren't interested.
From posting on local websites it turns out 20 mins later the man then went on to cut someone up on a roundabout then followed him home and threatened with a crowbar whilst ranting and raving about random stuff - police got involved with this but turned out he had fake number plates and took them ages to find him (in fact local people provided the info). The police were supposed to link the 2 cases but didn't bother - its terrifying there's people like this about

Well I've now got a log number and its been passed to our local police station. See what happens next I guess.

I only want him flagged up to the DVLA for a check on driving suitability and for it to be logged with the police. I'd hope they'd go and talk to him and let him know how serious this is. Not expecting anything more than that.

The police generally don’t do anything without video evidence, even if you have endless witnesses. It’s infuriating actually but just the way it is, they say it’s your word against theirs and drop it. Sorry this happened to you, sounds terrifying.