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Harassment and road rage - What you can do

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It can be a frightening and intimidating experience to be harassed while riding your bike, but there is action you can take.

Types of dangerous behaviour includes:

swerving towards the cyclist or deliberately passing too close
yelling abuse, honking horn and driving aggressively
throwing objects
forcing their way through traffic and 'squeezing' the cyclist.

Most bike riders are shaken and angry after an incident but feel powerless to do anything about it. Depending on the exact nature of the behaviour there are a number of steps you can take.

You should get the registration number of the vehicle and details of any witnesses who saw the incident. You should report drivers to the police and/or other relevant bodies.

Sometimes you will be asked to fill out a statutory declaration. (See right)

Thrown objects

You can report a vehicle that throws an object at you to the EPA litter report line. Visit the EPA website or phone 1800 35 25 55 for a litter report form.

Company cars and vans

Contact the employer to report the driver. Reporting bad behaviour will help discourage it. Make sure you record the details of the incident: including time, place, and registration number.

Taxis

Call the Victorian Taxi Directorate on 9320 4376 (Department of Infrastructure) or Enforcement on 9320 4300. Contact the VicRoads Victorian Taxi Directorate at Level 6, 14-20 Blackwood Street, North Melbourne, Vic 3051.

Make sure you record the details of the incident: including time, place, taxi number and registration number. The Taxi Directorate usually follows up by contacting the driver or their company.

Contact the police

Should you wish to report an incident to the police, Bicycle Victoria encourages Members to go to the nearest police station and make a report.

Even if the behaviour you experienced is not strictly 'illegal', Victoria Police can get in touch with the driver to alert them that their behaviour has been reported. It is essential that you have the licence plate number of the driver, and any other identifying information.

For a driver to be charged with an offence, Victoria Police need proof that will stand up in court (for example, a witness). If the offender is charged and interviewed, then a summons will be issued for a court appearance. At that point the cyclist may have to appear in court.

For most non-accident related instances of harassment, the police may decide to proceed to penalty-notice the driver, or simply phone the driver to inform them of the problem. In most cases drivers are simply unaware or ignorant of the problem.

State Bicycle Coordination Unit

The State Bicycle Coordination Unit are also able to provide information on how police can assist cyclists. For more information, having contacted the local police station, phone 9247 5284/82.

Dissatisfied with the police response?

If you are not satisfied with the police response after making a complaint about an incident while riding there are some steps you can take. If you have a witness to support an incidence of harassment but the police do not want to take matters further and you are not happy with the reason, here's what you can do.

record the answer given (together with the name, rank and the officer's number) and ask to speak to their senior officer. Explain the situation to the senior officer.
Again, if you unhappy with the response, record it together with the officer's particulars. Then call Bicycle Victoria.

Through our Upholding Your Rights program, Bicycle Victoria can provide advice on how to proceed with the matter. We will advise you on your next best course of action and can make further enquiries on your behalf.

We have overturned fines improperly given to Members by Victoria Police and ensured that drivers have been appropriately dealt with if involved in crashes with our Members.

Bicycle Victoria