driving without due care and attention

[Phoenixia]

On 01st April, my daughter &I were on way to her first antenatal scan,she was directing me to carpark I hadn't been before.
I indicated left & she said I'd indicated too soon-so indicated showing wasn't going to turn at that point.
25/30 yards on she said indicate I did & as there was bus lane to my left looked back (between front seats) saw bus in my rear window I could clearly see all the bus/thought was ok to turn/turned left across bus lane. As crossed buslane bus was very close to my car but there was NO contact/collision in any way& I drove into carpark.
Whilst parking my daughter said bus driver was coming over
I thought he was just grumpy as I'd indicated twice to turn left. But as he came over he was clearly behaving aggressively
I'm not good with confrontation so decided to leave-tried several times to leave carpark but busdriver kept walking between cars to stop us leaving.He then stood literally right infront of my car refusing to move
I was petrified by situation & admit all I could think about was getting away from him as he was scaring me. It may not seem big thing to others but I've been previously harmed & was probably overreacted.
He took my car registration down & eventually stood aside & we left. At this point I was shaking and crying.
After parking at different carpark my daughter said he'd said through window I'd hurt 1 of his passengers (I hadn't heard him say this-all I could think of was getting away)
I felt awful I'd left & its badlyaffected sleeping
On 9th April I got a form asking me if I owned car as it'd been reported for driving without due care and attention
I filled in form confirmed I owned car-(no notice to prosecute included)
Allowing for 1st class post Police would've got form by 12th april max.
I've heard nothing since (now 23rd April)
What should I do next and how long does it take to get notification of intent to prosecute. <

[randyraven]

It could take upto six months.
Depends how busy the cps are and if they have the time to investigate your case fully.

Depends if he had independant witnesses.
Do those on the bus count ...I dont think they do ?

[bensmum]

You were possibly in the wrong here but it does sound as if his behaviour was intimidating. I don't suppose you got his badge number did you? I think I would report him to the bus company!

[Ethel]

In my area many buses have ctv recording the traffic ahead and behind - this may be sufficient evidence.

As already stated there is a 6 month limit from the date of the offence - I wouldn't expect to hear anything just yet.

Try and put it out of your mind for now - it is pointless worrying about something that may never happen.

But if you are prosecuted, it will probably be a three point penalty and a fine of under �100.

Not worth getting het up about.

[randyraven]

You can also be offered the alternate of a Driving Improvement course. It costs a couple of hundred quid and a couple of days off work. But then thats it. You avoid the points and fine.

[Phoenixia]

Thanks for the replies.
I do not have a formal notice of intent to prosecute yet.
I would happily take the course if it was offered.
I think honestly that in retrospect I was clearly not aware of how fast the bus was going and under those circumstances I did cross too soon. Secondly in order to get where he was so fast, the bus must have been accelerating.
It's a lesson learnt about bus lanes!
Thank you again. I hope that I don't have to wait 6 months as the worry has made me drop 5 lbs already as well as having nightmares

[derekpara]

Phoenixia, I don't see how YOU hurt one the bus driver's passengers. If he had kept a safe distance behind you it would have allowed for any driving errors you may have made. It was HIS action ( sudden braking ?) that caused the alleged injury. Don't worry about it.

[Phoenixia]

Thank you Derekpara..
I have worried about this so much.
I learnt to drive when I was 13, on the roads in a tractor at 14 driving at 17 and passed my test well over 20 years ago. I have always had a clean license and this is the first time that my driving has ever been brought into question.
Guess it's really knocked my confidence. So thanks for the support. It is appreciated!

[Panic Button]

We all make mistakes on the road.

Some lead to a quick honk on the horn, some lead to dreadful consequences. Yours was nearer to the horn honking scenario.

You have accepted you were probably in the wrong, and have learnt from it. Time to move on. Stop worrying yourself

[Sammy Snake]

Get a grip! You admit yourself that you turned across the front of a bus, fair enough, we all make mistakes.

To end up shaking and crying, to lose 5lbs and to let it affect your sleeping is just plain ridiculous!

TBH, people who indicate / un-indicate / indicate again really get up my nose - make your flipping mind up whether you are turning or not.

[SlackAlice]

derekpara
So what was the bus driver supposed to do? Plow straight in to the car that had turned left across him!
What a lot of people don't realise is that often passengers are standing on the bus and a sudden unexpected 'tap' on the brakes puts them on the floor.

Phoenixia
I would'nt worry too much it's not worth it. Probably nothing will happen, unless the 'injured' party makes a claim against the Bus company.

I'm a bus driver myself and do not condone the other bus drivers actions, which are unprofessional to say the least.

[Phoenixia]

I care about getting things right. I believed at the time of taking the time I was doing it safely. Clearly I made an error of judgement.
I thank you all for the replies, even the critical ones. It has enabled me to be clear that there were two seperate things going on here.
One was the question of the driving and whether I was entirely in the wrong, or as I am now becoming more sure of, we could both have driven differently.
And the second was the question of the drivers behaviour which I feel was unacceptable and inappropriate to the situation. Intimidating someone is never a good thing
Thank you for your time and replies they've given me some reassurances and more to think about.
Regards and thanks ...

[almcd007]

If the bus driver firmly believed that a passenger was injured by Phoenixia's actions then he has every right to approach the car and ask for details. If there was a collision and say Pheonixia hadn't realised there'd been contact then she would be guilty of not stopping after an accident - something that she would not have known as she didnt give the driver a chance. I'd get quite frustrated if that driver then drove off without me having the chance to explain why I was approaching them. If it was a private motorist then fair enough - but a bus driver ? In uniform? He obviously wanted to inform the driver that there was a problem.

I think that this could be put down to the "joys of motoring" and in this day and age the likelihood of an accident is greater in such a situation. With the greatest of respect I think that Pheonixia should get some help, through her doctor, with the self confidence issue as maybe in future it could have a worse effect if she was required to stop after an accident.

All the best with it though and I'm sure it will probably just blow over.

[jno]

You're right, Phoenixia; but in the bus driver's defence, remember he must have been pretty shaken up too to see someone swing across his bows. As SlackAlice says, anyone standing could easily have fallen over if he'd had to hit the brakes. He and his employers may well risk being sued themselves if a passenger is injured.

Personally, when I'm driving with someone else navigating (always a tricky situation), I just refuse to make any turns unless I'm given plenty of warning so that I can get in the right lane - precisely so that this sort of thing doesn't happen. I'd sooner drive round the block and try again, however much this irritates the navigator!

[Phoenixia]

There was absolutely and definitely NO collision or touching of the vehicles in any respect.
And yes the bus driver had the right to approach me, but he had no right to approach aggressively and scare me.
I guess all I wanted was an answer to how long I would have to wait before I heard something. I didn't realize that I would be shot down in flames by some people
Lesson learnt. I definitely did give plenty of warning. I think the truth is we were both at fault we could both have done things better.
I would never knowingly have driven off if I knew someone had been injured. I only left because I was so scared. I don't expect anyone else to understand that.
Thanks for your time I guess the question is answered as best as it can be

[New Judge]

Leaving aside whether you are guilty of an offence or not, you should be served with a notice of intended prosecution (a NIP). This should be posted so as to arrive, in normal circumstances, within 14 days of the alleged offence, and is usually served with the request for the driver's details.

You say that you have received no such notice, but you are aware that you have been reported for an alleged offence. Although the paperwork you have may not say "Notice of Intended Prosecution" it will almost certainly be argued that the documents you received informed you of the possibility of prosecution. You may therefore have difficulty arguing that no such notice was received and I believe you should assume that a NIP has been served.

That being the case, as has been said, the posecution has up to six months to bring the matter to court.

[tigwig]

Phoenixia please stop worrying about this, as you say it sounds like you were both a little bit at fault. The bus driver sounds like a w*nker to me, it is one thing to inform you of your mistake but he shouldn't have behaved so aggressively. I would write to the companys head office about him.

[randyraven]

Phoenixia...If you have a clean license the worst that will happen is that you get a few points and a fine.
The best is that they will write to you in a couple of weeks that they dont intend to prosecute.

Stuff happens in life and its not worth worring about.
Just watch the news and look how worse off some people are. Those that have lost kids etc ...
Please put this into perspective.

So dont worry ...I'm sure it will all blow over.