What To Do When Involved In An Incident On Your Bike

Things Cyclists Should Have Readily Accessible When Biking (other than water)A Pen or MarkerPepper SprayPaper for recording InfoSlim Digital CameraAfter dealing with various people over the past few days, as well as reading about what has happened to others and how their cases have gone when reporting attacks on cyclists, I have learned a few things.Mostly though, is that the general public, and the cops in general dont seem to care too much if a biker gets injured on the roads.Here are some things that you can do to help push your case when something does happen. At the end of this there will be a cheat sheet that can be printed out and carried on you so info can be taken down.I will go most important first, with best case scenario below them.Always call the police immediately. Immedeately means once it is best to do so. If you can get pictures or take information about the person that attacked/is attacking you, then do it! Have your camera phone or digital camera readily accessible while riding. Call the police after you can get as much info as possible.Be aware that 911 from a cell phone can be slow, you are best using a landline, OR knowing the direct line to the local police dispatcher in your area. For the place that my incident occured, West Los Angeles, the number is 877 275-5273. Calling this number is calling 9111. Get The Vehicles License PlatesI am one of those weird people that carries a pen in my pocket at all times. In a rush, you can get your pen and write down the license plate of the car on your wrist. Just be sure not to wipe it off from sweat.Later, write this down seperately on another piece of paper, because the police will ask for this. You can also write it down on the short form that is at the end of this1. A. Get a Description of the CarWhat kind of car was it? What was the model of the car? Was it an 90's car, or fresh off the lot? What color is it?1. B. Get A Description of the DriverIf you do not have this, then the driver of the vehicle can claim not to have been present in the vehicle at the time of your attack. They could be lying, but it becomes a "their word against yours" kind of fight. If you can get any distinguishing marks, such as tattos, scars, freckles, glasses, hat, etc, that would be better than nothing at all.1. C. Get Photos of the Driver, Car, and License PlatesUse your cell phones camera feature. Even better is if it has a video option. This reason alone would be a good reason to carry a cheap, compact Credit Card style digital camera when you go biking.Sure, you can take great shots of places you have been, as well as taking pictures of you and your friends on your next ride, but if the need ever arises, you can whip it out and start taking pictures of that car that just tried to turn you or your buddy into road pizza. 2. Get Witness Statements and InformationIf there were other people around, then get their information. Try to find people other than the bikers that were with you, because of the implied bias thay could have. "Neutral" parties are the best as witnesses.Drivers of other vehicles, pedestrians, people inside of shops, anybody that saw what happened, or could have seen what happened. If there are enough people aroound take down the plates of cars nearby that have people in them, so that Detectives can contact them later and ask them about what they might have seen.Information to get from witnesses includes Names, Addresses, Phone Number, Drivers License numbers, and Car Licenes plate numbers.3. Take Pictures of Injuries and DamageThis will be included as evidence later, as well as damage can be traced back to the vehicle from these photos, given that the vehicle can be located.4. Report the Incident to the PoliceCall The police, and let them know what happened. You may need to go to a local station in person to get a report or incident number.If there are multiple people on the ride, then have somebody call the police immediately, while others get information about the attacker, as well as take pictures if possible. If you are alone, get as much info as possible before calling the police, unless you are in immediate danger. You will not get a second chance to get this info, and it is best to get as much now. Once you have descriptions, photos, witnesses, etc, then call the police.5. Follow up!Make sure that a detective has been assigned to your case. Make sure that your case has enough informtaion to have leads for a detective to pursue. If your case has leads, and there is no action coming from the police, then you need to get heard.6. Contact City HallA few phone calls was all it took for my case to get the backing of a local citycouncilman. However, a few calls did not all come from me, which brings me to the next point-7. Get HeardPublicise your situation. Post on cycling forums, messageboards, etc. I dont know how mine got the exposure that it did, all I did was post a simple bulletin on Myspace letting my friends know what happened to me, as welll as write here in livejournal. A friend reccomended me posting it to Digg.com, and from there, it took off by itself, getting posted in various other forums, and that is when people started calling city hall and council reps on my behalf. I believe that it is becaue of the action of the cycling community that my case has a detective assigned to it now.This can be printed out and put in your wallet for future use. Hilight and Print Selection if your browser supports it, or just copy and paste it into a program that you can Print from. This form conviently fits in your wallet. I just might have to format another one that is the same size as a dollar bill, which can hold more info...What To Do When An Incident Occurs:STAY CALM. COLLECT INFORMATION-TAKE PICTURES of Driver, assailant(s), and injuries or damage immediately. Cell Phone Cameras will work in a rush! LAPD on a Cell -1 877 275-5273Plate Number______________ Color___________Make___________ Model_______________Location of Incident _________________________Description of Driver___________________________________________________________________Description of Passenger(s)_______________________________________________________________WITNESS INFO: Other Drivers, pedestrians, etcName__________________ Ph #________________Address ____________________________________CA DL #_______________ Vehicle Plates ________If anybody has any reccomendations or additions to this let me know.-Sparky