Also, just to mention...

When i called the Sheriff they seamed very interested, just in having  
bike people call this type of thing in, and i think she was mad at me  
for not phoning it in last night.

Ok, granted maybe i should have, but i did not want to call 911 and  
was hungry when i got back to lab.  And really!  We do have priorities!

So i thought i would also throw out 2 numbers.

California Highway Patrol 650-369-6261
San Mateo County Sheriff Dept  650-364-1811

Those are non-emergency numbers, good for i am still alive but just  
pissed off calling.  I programed them into my less then trusty phone  
so next time we will be ready.

And thanks to Nathaniel for being on top of things enough to grab the  
license plate.

Good morning :P
Sam

Hi team.  Sam, glad everyone's okay.  I am also happy to hear that
police department was receptive to, rather than dismissive of, the
complaint.

Another number that is good to have in your phone is the Palo Alto
Police dept.: 650-321-4433.

In the event of any kind of incident which would require a 911 call,
it is often faster to call ANY local police dept. (e.g., call the San
Mateo Sheriff even if you're in Santa Cruz) and have them connect you
with the police dept. closest to where you are.  All 911 calls go to
the call center in Sacramento, and they're not as likely to be
familiar with the roads on the peninsula as the local PD and FD.
There is also usually a longer wait involved.

Although these incidents can be scary, please remember that these
types of drivers are an extremely small percentage of people that get
a disproportionate amount of attention.  Nearly all of our team rides
(and most rides by all people on the peninsula) pass without incident,
and most drivers around here ride bikes themselves.

Occasionally, drivers like the one Sam encountered are out looking for
a fight (for whatever reason).  It's VERY important NOT to give them a
reason to escalate.  Don't flip them off, don't smack their car, don't
chase them down to yell at them... ignore them or just give a friendly
wave and a smile despite their aggression.

And like Sam and Nathaniel did, try to note the make/model/plates on
the car, and let the police know about it.

Evan

On Nov 4, 6:50 am, Samuel Wilson <s4wil...@stanford.edu> wrote: