Modern Vespa

So,

A few days ago my friend and I were riding our vespa's on a beautiful road that connects Cooden with Peavensy. It is my all time favorite road to ride on, especially on such a lovely day.

In places the road is rather narrow and difficult for cars to over take, but the bends are so sharp, I can't imagine any car or bike would want to do more than 30! So it is never a problem... Until this day!

A dangerous van driver over took me on a bend, braked hard in front of me to avoid hitting my friend, then completely cut him up while over taking!

It's drivers like these that put fear into new riders like myself, I hope he gets what is coming for him.

Fortunately, I had mounted my iPhone to my handlebars that day! So here is the link to the video!

It's always the white vans, isn't it?!

Same over here!!!

Glad you lived to tell the tale!

It certainly is!

Never had a major problem with a car or anything! But those darn white vans!

Fortunately, I saw him in my mirrors and as you can see, I moved as far over as I could to let the idiot past! If he had of waited another 2 minutes he could have passed no problem!

Cheers!

what the heck was wrong with that van driver... He was driving like a homicidal maniac. Glad you are okay. Wow. That was sobering.

Glad you are both okay.

That road is NSL - the van driver was just 'making progress'. Frankly, if you'd been doing 30 along that road I'd have whizzed past as well.

I just want to the video to get out really!

So all van drivers can see this and hopefully even this one, so they can realize that driving like this is so off putting and scary for riders!

Thank god for mirrors, horns and the ability to shout abuse without being heard!

And I'd have been muttering 'Bloody Sunday riders'...

I have no problem with people over taking, but do it when it is safe to do so! Not cutting in front of and cutting up new riders with L plates.

Agreed. Sunday riders or not, he could/should have waited until he could overtake safely without cutting you up. The L-plates will at least have given him a clue that a) you might not be riding as fast as the road allows, and b) you might find it intimidating to have a van fly past your shoulder at 50mph.

and Jim - whatever happened to 'It's a limit, not a target?'

FWIW - to me, it didn't exactly look like terrible driving on the part of the van driver.

Unless you're prepared to hold the centre of the lane and make it really difficult for him to pass you (which, on a restricted 50, might not be the wisest choice at all times, but is definitely an option at your disposal), then you've got to expect to be overtaken on most NSL roads.

You could have used your lane position to encourage him to overtake you at a spot of your choosing, for instance (especially as you say you know that road).

Anyway, you're home safe, which his the main thing. I'm not trying to say the van driver was right, but you can't change other peoples' behaviour as easily as you can change your own. If I get into a potentially dangerous situation on the road, then I think one of the most useful things I can do afterwards is to think how I could have acted to make it less dangerous. It's almost never totally down to the other bloke, IMHO.

+1

NSL? It's a 'suggestion'.

Is this video on YouTube? Can someone put up a link please

It's in my original post...

Its not working on my tablet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=tLLt5f4ZLFM