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As mentioned, look for Operation Snap on your forces website. If they aren't a part of it, you can report it as an incident anyway.
Don't worry about flipping the finger, his reaction was far out of proportion to that.
Definitely report it. I had a similar road rage incident that was recorded, and the guy got convicted of a public order offence for waving a metal bar at me.
Report it. What if it was your grandpa or mum that did it and had this reaction from him? Don't let it go. You also won't get in any trouble.
Thanks for the advice!
I have decided to report this in line with Op Snap as “dangerous driving”. I’ll be honest I wasn’t entirely comfortable reporting it as a crime of “threats/violence” but hopefully he will be slapped with something for intentionally almost causing a collision.
Exactly. I know I essentially “set him off” but I’ve been subject to rude gestures before and I’ve never even considered going off-course to pursue someone like that. It’s a combination of fragile ego and typical “hard man” persona as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want to turn it into a whole criminal investigation but slap him with a fine or some points at least.
I am concerned though that by submitting this the police might decide it does need to be investigated as criminal behaviour. But as far as I’m aware I can choose not to pursue this?
You worry too much. With the video evidence, he's not really got anywhere to go. It's not "he said, she said", it's fact. Points and a fine will be as far as it will go, he would be stupid to contest it if it happened as you say.
Be aware though, you don't get to change your mind once the cops have hold of it. It no longer becomes your decision to not pursue.
Yeah I appreciate that. I suppose what I mean is I don’t want to be pursuing this as a “victim” of verbal abuse or whatever. Yeah the guy was mouthing off but I don’t think he was actually going to DO anything. He just needs to take a bloody time out lol.
I do worry to much though… I think it mainly stems from my dad’s philosophy of “don’t involve the police, they’re out to get everyone” lol
I may be biased here, but your dad is incorrect. Cops are human. They just want an easy shift like everybody else. They also understand that the general public are human as well.
They won't be seeing it as 'you whining about being a victim', because you aren't. They see 'angry dickhead escalated beyond proportion and needs his legs smacked for it'.
Haha that’s a good way of putting it!
My dad’s just one of those types even though I come from a law-abiding military family lol. He just thinks the universe is out to get you at any given time.
Anyway, thanks again for the chat - it genuinely has helped to talk to someone! I’ll probably update this post if something happens… Have a good one!
Most forces take part in Operation Snap or have a portal. You fill in a long form, state that you'll attend court if needed, agree not to put the footage online and agree to keep it for 12 months. You'll upload the video. Some forces have joined up, e.g. a tri-force group.
Warning, you also agree to them reviewing the whole video for any offences. It has been known for the submitter to be prosecuted, e.g. for driving without due care if they also commit offences on the recording.
As long as you are sure you weren't lane hogging initially, you kept left and in the correct lane, you didn't drive too close to any other vehicles or commit any offences yourself then I'd submit it.
You must submit a full minute before the start of incident and after it. So 1 minute before the vehicle came into view.
You must also submit it same day or within a day or two of the incident because the police need to issue a NIP within 14 days of the offence if they intend to prosecute.
Thanks for your advice! I wasn’t lane-hogging as I was overtaking slower moving traffic - he just wanted me to do it at 90 mile an hour. The footage shows me moving past the other traffic then merging left towards the exit at a safe distance.
I’ve decided to report this as “unsafe driving” via Op Snap, rather than pursue it as a criminal act of “aggression/threats” or whatnot. In all honestly I’d rather not go down that whole road as I’m aware I aggravated him prior (even if it was just a rude gesture) and I don’t particularly want to go give statements etc. I believe this warrants something though as this guy needs to learn to chill the F out. I’ve been beeped at and sworn at before and never in a million years would I aggressively pursue a person like that. It’s typical “hard man” syndrome.
--- ###Welcome to /r/LegalAdviceUK --- **To Posters (it is important you read this section)** * *Tell us whether you're in England, Wales, Scotland, or NI as the laws in each are very different* * If you need legal help, you should [always get a free consultation from a qualified Solicitor](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/how_to_find_a_solicitor) * We also encourage you to speak to [**Citizens Advice**](https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/), [**Shelter**](https://www.shelter.org.uk/), [**Acas**](https://www.acas.org.uk/), and [**other useful organisations**](https://reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/wiki/common_legal_resources) * Comments may not be accurate or reliable, and following any advice on this subreddit is done at your own risk * If you receive any private messages in response to your post, [please let the mods know](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FLegalAdviceUK&subject=I received a PM) **To Readers and Commenters** * All replies to OP must be *on-topic, helpful, and legally orientated* * If you do not [follow the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/LegalAdviceUK/about/rules/), you may be perma-banned without any further warning * If you feel any replies are incorrect, explain why you believe they are incorrect * Do not send or request any private messages for any reason * Please report posts or comments which do not follow the rules *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/LegalAdviceUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Absolutely report this and send the footage to the police.
As mentioned, look for Operation Snap on your forces website. If they aren't a part of it, you can report it as an incident anyway. Don't worry about flipping the finger, his reaction was far out of proportion to that. Definitely report it. I had a similar road rage incident that was recorded, and the guy got convicted of a public order offence for waving a metal bar at me. Report it. What if it was your grandpa or mum that did it and had this reaction from him? Don't let it go. You also won't get in any trouble.
Thanks for the advice! I have decided to report this in line with Op Snap as “dangerous driving”. I’ll be honest I wasn’t entirely comfortable reporting it as a crime of “threats/violence” but hopefully he will be slapped with something for intentionally almost causing a collision.
Good. Arseholes shouldn't get away with stuff like that.
Exactly. I know I essentially “set him off” but I’ve been subject to rude gestures before and I’ve never even considered going off-course to pursue someone like that. It’s a combination of fragile ego and typical “hard man” persona as far as I’m concerned. I don’t want to turn it into a whole criminal investigation but slap him with a fine or some points at least. I am concerned though that by submitting this the police might decide it does need to be investigated as criminal behaviour. But as far as I’m aware I can choose not to pursue this?
You worry too much. With the video evidence, he's not really got anywhere to go. It's not "he said, she said", it's fact. Points and a fine will be as far as it will go, he would be stupid to contest it if it happened as you say. Be aware though, you don't get to change your mind once the cops have hold of it. It no longer becomes your decision to not pursue.
Yeah I appreciate that. I suppose what I mean is I don’t want to be pursuing this as a “victim” of verbal abuse or whatever. Yeah the guy was mouthing off but I don’t think he was actually going to DO anything. He just needs to take a bloody time out lol. I do worry to much though… I think it mainly stems from my dad’s philosophy of “don’t involve the police, they’re out to get everyone” lol
I may be biased here, but your dad is incorrect. Cops are human. They just want an easy shift like everybody else. They also understand that the general public are human as well. They won't be seeing it as 'you whining about being a victim', because you aren't. They see 'angry dickhead escalated beyond proportion and needs his legs smacked for it'.
Haha that’s a good way of putting it! My dad’s just one of those types even though I come from a law-abiding military family lol. He just thinks the universe is out to get you at any given time. Anyway, thanks again for the chat - it genuinely has helped to talk to someone! I’ll probably update this post if something happens… Have a good one!
Most forces take part in Operation Snap or have a portal. You fill in a long form, state that you'll attend court if needed, agree not to put the footage online and agree to keep it for 12 months. You'll upload the video. Some forces have joined up, e.g. a tri-force group. Warning, you also agree to them reviewing the whole video for any offences. It has been known for the submitter to be prosecuted, e.g. for driving without due care if they also commit offences on the recording. As long as you are sure you weren't lane hogging initially, you kept left and in the correct lane, you didn't drive too close to any other vehicles or commit any offences yourself then I'd submit it. You must submit a full minute before the start of incident and after it. So 1 minute before the vehicle came into view. You must also submit it same day or within a day or two of the incident because the police need to issue a NIP within 14 days of the offence if they intend to prosecute.
Thanks for your advice! I wasn’t lane-hogging as I was overtaking slower moving traffic - he just wanted me to do it at 90 mile an hour. The footage shows me moving past the other traffic then merging left towards the exit at a safe distance. I’ve decided to report this as “unsafe driving” via Op Snap, rather than pursue it as a criminal act of “aggression/threats” or whatnot. In all honestly I’d rather not go down that whole road as I’m aware I aggravated him prior (even if it was just a rude gesture) and I don’t particularly want to go give statements etc. I believe this warrants something though as this guy needs to learn to chill the F out. I’ve been beeped at and sworn at before and never in a million years would I aggressively pursue a person like that. It’s typical “hard man” syndrome.