Reporting Aggressive Drivers

[Ryan]

Recently one of our patrollers had an experience with some very
aggressive drivers on Gold Camp Road. This can be a pretty big issue
around here, especially up around the National Forest area with all
the dirt roads available and lack of law enforcement. And all of us
bikers "slowing down" the cars of course don't help things ;-)

He handled it very well by looking ahead and being aware of the
situation and then immediately trying to get a license plate and
vehicle make. Bicycle Colorado recently posted an article discussing
how to deal with these drivers. You can find the full article here,
but some of the quick tips are below:
http://bicyclecolo.org/page.cfm?pageId=731

If you do find yourself in a run-in with an aggressive driver, here's
what can be done to make sure we report it properly and maintain the
professionalism of the group:
* Get the license plate number
* Try to remember the make and model of the car
* Note the location and their direction of travel
* Note the nature of their aggressive driving as this will help police
understand the severity of the situation
* Dial Colorado State Patrol at *CSP (*277)

If you are officially patrolling, this would be good to report in your
patrol log under the comments section.

Word of the patrol group seems to be spreading around town a bit more
these days, so we are steadily developing ourselves and proving to be
a huge benefit for the community. With that in mind, always remember
that when you are out patrolling, you are also representing not only
our group, but also IMBA and the cycling community in general. So keep
up the professionalism, as difficult as it is at times (we've all been
there), when you run into an aggressive driver. Get the details, keep
calm, and never escalate the situation. Walking away with less
information is better than remaining in a heated situation with a
potentially violent driver.

We've been getting some good logs from people who have been riding
over these past few weeks, so we'll have some great numbers for trail
usage and volunteer hours in 2009! Keep up the great work everyone and
enjoy these warm days!
Ryan