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Taxi driver runs Traffic Droid off roadTraffic Droid: I'm no vigilante
- Traffic Droid, arguably London’s most famous helmet cam cyclist, has told road.cc he's no vigilante, that he films and reports bad drivers in the name of justice
- Says he was too scared to use route for two weeks after taxi altercation that saw him knocked off his bike
- Adds sometimes camera evidence is the only way cyclists can get justice on the roads
- Tells road.cc he submits up to 20 videos per week to police, most of which lead to prosecutions of some sort.
- Recommends cyclists don't get mad in altercations with other road users, and for London cyclists to submit videos straight to police rather than use the Met's RoadSafe tool
The London cyclist known as Traffic Droid, who has recorded all of his cycle journeys since 2010, tells road.cc he's no vigilante, that he doesn't go out looking to bait drivers, but is motivated by justice on the roads.
Following the release of footage this week from his five bike- and helmet-mounted cameras, showing him being run off the road by a taxi driver in March, Traffic Droid, who posts videos on YouTube as Son of the Winds, says he was scared to cycle the route for two weeks.
Droid, who submits up to 20 videos a week to police from his daily eight mile commute through central London, says he was so scared after the taxi incident released last week, he avoided the route or walked along the pavement instead for two weeks afterwards.
He believes this is part of a wider problem of aggressive driving “that ripples all over London”, which needs to be tackled by the criminal justice system.
Video: taxi driver deliberately runs cyclist off the road
He told road.cc the taxi incident left him shocked and confused.
"I didn’t expect that to happen,” he said.
“This is a story of a taxi driver but it is an issue that ripples all over London – aggressive driving, cutting up, tailgating.
“I was lucky he didn’t hit me directly from behind, I would have gone under his vehicle. That made me scared for about two weeks, I avoided that route and walked that section of road. I was scared he might come back for me. I’m human, after all.”
It took nine months for the driver to be convicted.
He said: “From the time of the accident it took three months before I got any kind of notification. They came back and said he was going to be sent on a driver safety course, but he wouldn’t get points or a fine. I thought that was really lenient.”
However, the driver refused to take the safety course and was taken to court, receiving 6 license points and a £700 fine thanks, Traffic Droid says, to the cameras.
“Without my cameras he would have got away with it because it’s their word against ours, as cyclists.”
He says Rule 163 of the Highway Code, that people should only overtake cyclists when it is safe to do so, should be "beefed up" with fines, adding close passes, tailgating and aggressive driving are his three main concerns when riding on the streets.
Traffic Droid started filming his commutes after an oncoming driver turned right in front of him in 2009, hitting him head on. His injuries included two broken ribs and he was off the bike for two months. He got his first GoPro, then a rear-facing camera and three others, taking the total up to five.
He has carried up to eight cameras at one time, but this used too much data, he says, claiming he currently uses four terabytes of information each month for the films, which he saves “like books” on his shelves.
Now he sends up to 10 videos a day to police, filling in a separate form for each one, a process he calls “agonising”.
“When any bad driving incident occurs I report it and go through a legal process [filling out a #966 traffic collision incident form, specific to the Metropolitan Police], some of which result in convictions or court appearances," he says.
“I always pray not to send any because it’s agonising, it takes my free time.
He claims the last big week saw him send 24 clips to police, 20 of which resulted in convictions. from fines to safe driving courses.
“A lot of drivers are sent on safety courses, I catch a lot of people on mobile phones, or even iPads, or driving dangerously but it’s very, very, hard work: I have to spend at least half an hour per form filling in police incident forms, then I have to send in CDs within seven working days so the driver can be notified within 14 working days.”
Of the videos he sends to police the majority, he says, result in a conviction, from a driver safety course to a fine with points on the driver’s license, to court hearings. He says submitting evidence directly to police has achieved far more convictions than submitting videos via RoadSafe, which, he says, have mostly resulted in no further action being taken.
Droid has been branded a “vigilante” by national papers, a title he won’t accept.
“I refuse to be called a vigilante because I don’t go out of my way to catch people, I’m just an active citizen; that is it.”
“I’m worried about people thinking I’m baiting drivers deliberately, which I’m not.”
He encourages other cyclists to use helmet cameras to report bad driving because, he says, “if you don’t have a camera it is very likely they will get away with it. A camera is a very powerful thing.”
He adds: “My advice to cyclists is don’t get too mad, too angry, because when it comes to a court case people will say ‘this guy is just an angry person’.”
Having been posting videos online for several years now, and with one camera mounted in front of his bike filming him cycling, Traffic Droid says he is recognised on the streets, which can be “scary” at times. He even believes the taxi driver from the incident recognised him.
He plans on sharing the taxi crash footage with the taxi community to encourage them to talk about the incident and see things from a cyclist’s point of view.
He says: “We aren’t riding centrally to annoy them, we are only trying to protect ourselves.
“Every day is a battle,” he says.
Laura Laker is a freelance journalist with more than a decade’s experience covering cycling, walking and wheeling (and other means of transport). Beginning her career with road.cc, Laura has also written for national and specialist titles of all stripes. One part of the popular Streets Ahead podcast, she sometimes appears as a talking head on TV and radio, and in real life at conferences and festivals. She is also the author of Potholes and Pavements: a Bumpy Ride on Britain’s National Cycle Network.
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20 comments
A match made in heaven. Katie Hopkins and Traffic Droid on Road Tax.
https://www.facebook.com/uktlc/videos/1017991418245391/
I'm not sure why but @sonofthewinds on Twitter aka Traffic Droid has blocked a good majority of other cyclists from his account. The only possible reason is that they have offered words of advice and he hasn't liked the advice given or considers himself to be a better cyclist then them. A few months ago him and Super Dave Sherry set up another Twitter handle with the name @Justice_Lego which led to a parody account of @Lego_Justice that after a week was threatened by them of cease and desist, apparently the Justice Leage lawyers asked them to inform Lego Justice to stop the parady account. I'm no lawyer but shouldn't the client ask the lawyer to write to the offending party not the other way round?
A couple of their better tweets
https://twitter.com/Justice_Lego/status/605369535521296385
https://twitter.com/Sueperb2/status/607676145623035905
https://twitter.com/Justice_Lego/status/608946568033660928
Yeah, I stopped following him awhile ago as I found some of his behaviour and naming calling quite unpleasant. The Justice League thing was also a bit... odd. I've still defended him above, as I think what he does is fine, and he does receive a lot of silly criticism about his riding.
I can separate what I might think about his online words from what I think about his actions whilst riding. Overall I think he's one of the good guys, even if he's on my list of people I'd never want to get stuck in a lift with.
There is no way that Droid is a vigilante. He may have a prolific GoPro clip reporting record, but to be a vigilante he'd have to be taking the law into his own hands - which he is not doing.
Can you imagine how dull superhero movies would be if they employed the definition of 'vigilante' that gets used when cyclists are involved?
Batman spots crime-in-progress...sensibly doesn't get involved but gets out the Bat-Cam and later the next day sends video clip to Gotham PD...who ignore it. Roll credits.
What is a vigilante?
Any person who takes the law into his or her own hands, as by avenging a crime.
So, is Droid taking the law into his own hands? No. Quite simple, he tkaes evidence to the police who then deal with it in accordance with the law of the land.
Perhaps the more important question is why is the word "vigilante" associated with cyclists whom record their commutes and report (alleged) infringements to the Police? And I think that user hampstead_bandit get's close the nub of the issue, it is the habitualness. It is that these "little" infringements are so commonplace that it is not even noted as being unacceptable.
It is this normalisation of breaking the law that is a problem. I have filtered through traffic to stop at an ASL, infront of me was a box junction that was obstructed by cars, behind me a police car. So, why didn't the police enforce the law? Because it has become normal.
If Droid were filming those engaged in terrorist activities he would be lauded as a champion of the people. Yet, motoring seems to opperate outside of the law.
Another important issue is how difficult the process is to report the crime and get it recorded. Downloading the file onto DVD/CD, we are now in an era where DVD drives are becoming obsolete on modern tech.
Contrast a previous Droid incident also in Devonshire Street - Jan 2013 - anyone have a video link ?
http://www.dac-callsign.com/13/Nov13/CallSignNov2013.pdf
"lighting used by the cyclist was probably unlawful"
"he appeared to deliberately ride in the centre of the road. Rule 51 of the Highway Code, he wrote, refers to all road users to be considerate"
http://www.dac-callsign.com/14/Feb14/CallSignFeb2014.pdf
Melvyn Harvey “Of course for motorists should always be aware of cyclists; however this guy seems to go out onto the streets just to antagonise drivers. The fact that he has so many clips on YouTube, with many of those clearly showing that he is looking sideways rather than ahead, appears to prove that point. His aim was just to show his power."
So much for Lifesavers and situational awareness !
http://www.dac-callsign.com/14/Jan14/CallSignJan2014.pdf
"Until you make it compulsory to have cycles registered and insured, things will not change"
"Add de rigueur of headphones and it’s no wonder cyclists are not aware of their surroundings!"
"You should be pushing Government to legislate for the introduction of registration as a priority or the unfortunate increase in cyclist’s deaths will only escalate."
So registration will keep us alive! Or was that a threat?
I don't suppose the recent driver has been named ?
I think we need something in a revised Highway Code to make Bikeability 'Primary Position' clear to drivers. Any suggestions ?
http://think.direct.gov.uk/cycling.html - is the best we have ...
A thought - how about a web site which would enable to be derived from the videos? Features
A very simple database (so it gets used) which allow the input of:
Search facilities on
No assumptions about the drivers identity and contact details for the video owner would not be public.
Some thinking needs to done about managing the data, confidentiality etc. A job for one of the cycling organisations?
The aim is to have clearly documented evidence. Persistent offenders would be obvious over time and as others have commented, something might be done by the Police. Companies would come under some pressure for the driving of their employees. I daresay the insurance companies might find it interesting when vehicles insurance comes up for renewal.
If they really have such a high conviction rate then the average cop in London should do a day a week on a bike with helmet cam. It would probably be useful even without the convictions.
I saw the original article and now having seen this I think worth putting a couple of things down. I ride through central London and regularly see this guy - you can't miss him with his five cameras, one mounted on a long selfie stick out the front of the bike looking backwards. "Vigilante" he may claim not to be, but i don't agree he doesn't bait drivers - even if it is through naivety .
What this guy does undoubtedly prove is that there are any number of idiots out there on the road and sadly, that will never change. Riding in central London, you have to be aware of that fact and act accordingly - it's an art form of sorts. You can't just stay out of the way and mind your own business. You have to know where the pinch points are, where there are chances for conflict and you have to recognise the signs of a driver who is going to be a d1ck - and when you do, don't put yourself in danger or inflame things, even if you are right and have the moral high ground. Whilst as cyclists we have every right to ride where we want, follow the rules of the road and expect not to get killed or abused, the reality is different and you have to have situational awareness and adapt.
Droid doesn't do that - if someone is being a d1ck, and say, tailgating him, he doesn't protect himself and just stay calm and get out the way if it's safe to do so, he carries on and lets the d1ck get more irate. Now, this is not right by any means as far as a driver is concerned - it's bang out of order and we shouldn't have to put up with it, but having ridden for 8 years through London, all I'm saying is that being in the right and being sensible are not necessarily the same thing. That's the reality of life - not just on the roads but anywhere.
Droid's footage of this incident shows what i mean - the taxi pulls past him once and slows down and cuts him up. It's clear the taxi is going to be a d1ck. If that were me, I'd have slowed down and let the guy pull away and be gone after that - avoid further conflict with an idiot. But, Droid continues along, goes back up the inside of the taxi through a small gap and puts himself back in danger. He has every right to do that, but is it really sensible? Better to live to fight another day than die being a martyr for what is technically right when it really is your life you are talking about. That's just my personal view and Droid is by the letter of the law justified in the way he acts and should be able to freely and without fear. But, other people are d1cks and always will be, and he lets them for the sake of getting them on camera.
I wish for once we could avoid all victim-blaming when an incident of a bad driver comes to our attention.
Ramz, like I say many times in my comment, Droid was in the right and shouldn't have been hit, but he did have a choice as to whether he put himself back in danger or just let it go. So i'm not blaming him for getting hit - that's inexcusable, but fact is he could have avoided exposing himself to any chance of it happening. I'm not speaking as someone without experience of riding in London or as someone who hasn't seen the guy ride - I ride every day and I see him regularly, and the way he is in this vid is consistent with what I've seen.
I would have done exactly the same thing. If someone pulls in like that to block me, I'm not going to stop for them. Want to know why, watch this - https://youtu.be/cgWBLVUnZyU?t=192
If you want an angry driver in your face, blocking your escape route, then go ahead and stop. I did it once years ago and had a very drunk passenger jump out the back, push me off and then dance around asking for a fight. Lesson learned.
I consider anyone using their car in such a manner is already violent. Don't assume they're going to pull away, assume the driver is going to get out.
You do make a fair point and I can't say for sure what i would do. It comes down to experience and judgment each time which course feels right. Equally, I might say better have a person jump out and come at you than let them drive at you with a car. And you might say what if that person had a knife...you never can tell and you just go on instinct. My point though is that Droid never takes the path that will let a situation fizzle out and come to nothing. Again, he shouldn't have to, but sometimes it's just safer and more sensible to let it go.
This. I've been cycling around London for a long time now, and one thing I have learnt is that it is easy to spot a potentially bad situation with a dickhead driver, and it's also pretty easy to avoid those situations most of the time with a bit of common sense.
I cycle 16 miles a day on my commute through central London, and I find it confusing that these YouTube warriors encounter so many aggressive motorists. I'm not saying they encourage it, but I do think that they could avoid a lot of what they get into if they wanted.
^^^ As above.
The Police have operated neigbourhood watch schemes for decades. They could likewise create "traffic watch" schemes, along with guidance to support best practice.
The evidence is stacking up that mobile phone use is a significent contributor to road traffic collisions, and yet there still doesn't seem to be any response to this from Police or Government.
Like
https://www.communityspeedwatch.co.uk/
Yes, exactly like that, which although limited has delivered some good results. It also gave us this moment of comedy gold - http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/566864/broke-speed-limit-prove-point-To...
What I want is support for a greater number of road crimes.
a streamlined system that works for modern digital media (movie clips from helmet cams) would really make a big difference to road safety
let's not f*ck about here:- if you take a cycle ride or walk in London during rush hour, or outside of rush hour, you will see hundreds of motor vehicle drivers busy and distracted by mobile devices.
its actually frightening how commonplace it really is, and how blase these drivers are about their "habit" (i.e. its a common place action, not a rarity); the really scary ones are the people driving HGV like lorries and tipper trucks - I regularly see them crossing busy junctions with a phone held to their ear.
When I have called them out on this behaviour, to try and prevent them killing someone through their distraction, I have been met with foul language and threats.
the most recent one this week by Spitalfields was a driver in a company van driving through a red light into pedestrians who were starting to cross on their green pedestrian light. He was busy using his phone and narrowly avoided several pedestrians.
I called him out on this digusting action, and was told "f*ck off, I'm not even moving you c*nt" despite him rolling through said red light! he then proceeded to speed off down the road, still on his phone.
I really wish I had a helmet cam and had captured this action, there would be a good chance now he would be receiving a notice of proscecution from the Police and termination of employment. Otherwise its my word against his, unless he had actually run someone over, I am sure there would be plenty of witnesses.
I think traffic droid is right in that there is no point in confronting drivers, we just need an easy upload mechanism to become the eyes of the road by capturing this behaviour through affordable helmet cams, so that the authorities can prosecute these dangerous drivers.
I'd say that any HGV driver caught using a hand held device should lose their driving license for life. It would certainly send a message out that its not acceptable.
It sounds like the reporting of driving offences needs to be streamlined. I don't see why we shouldn't have a simple system of filling in a form and uploading any relevant videos. What's the point of sending CDs?