Be careful of DWR 8730

[Regulator]

I was spat at and driven at by a driver this morning.  The vehicle involved is a LHD silver Porsche Cayenne with a New York State license plate DWR8730.

I arrived at the junction of The Mall and Trafalgar Square to find the car parked in the ASL and the driver texting on his Blackberry.  I knocked on his window and told him to put his phone down (silly I know but drivers on their phones really piss me off).

Mr Penis-Extension went ballistic, pushing hid door open (and in so doing banging into another cyclist) and started yelling.  As the lights changed and I pulled away, he spat at me.

I could then hear him gunning his engine and he roared up and swerved in at me.  As I jinked he swerved again to pull across in front of me – and across both lanes of the Trafalgar Square roundabout in the middle of rush hour.  He then continued to be abusive and I threatened to have him nicked – for some reason he seemed to think I was a policeman and started telling me I had to identify myself as such - but then, as I reached for my phone to call the Old Bill, he roared off, whilst continuing to yell threats.

I shall be off to Charing Cross Police Station to report him later.  If anyone sees this vehicle be careful – the driver is a maniac.  OK, you might say that I should have told him to put his phone down or touched his beloved penis extension, but he went off the scale - fecking 'Merkin obviously need to see his psychiatrist.

If I see the vehicle, I may be tempted to use some expanding metal foam on the exhaust or the engine cooling vents…   

[Notsototalnewbie]

Bloody hell. Glad you're ok. I will give him a wide berth if I see him, my commute takes in the Mall.

Isn't spitting classed as something...assault? Did any of it land on you...DNA and all that.

[Regulator]

Bloody hell. Glad you're ok. I will give him a wide berth if I see him, my commute takes in the Mall.

Isn't spitting classed as something...assault? Did any of it land on you...DNA and all that.

Spitting is classed as an assault and his spit did land on me - unfortunately it was raining  and got washed off.

[Notsototalnewbie]

Ah feck. Well I hope the police take you seriously.

[Tourist Tony]

You do realise, of course, that another body would have an interest in a high-value foreign-plated TAXABLE or DUTIABLE import like that car.....
Just a thought in passing.

[clarion]

If he's a Yank, then there's probably nowt you can do - could be Corps Diplomatique, and working for the 'chiselling little crook'.

Besides, there's a long history of Merkin drivers involved in incidents (including the killing of a friend of mine at Greenham Common) being whisked away out of the country.

[Nick H.]

What time was this Reg? I'll keep an eye out.

[Tourist Tony]

Vehicle should be on CD plates, NOT State plates, if it belongs to an accredited liar diplomat

[Regulator]

I've been and given a statement to the police.  Apart from the police suggesting that I brought it on myself for daring to violate the sanctity of the driver's penis extension by suggesting he not use his phone, they don't think there is much chance of doing anything - quelle suprise!

The vehicle is not registered in the UK - and I know this isn't just a line from the police as I checked before I went to the cop shop.  It's not insured either and AFAIK American insurers don't provide cover for driving in the UK.  As the vehicle is not registered they can't trace the driver - even though they could contact the 'Merkins for the driver's detail, I suspect that might be a little too much effort for the Met.

Their only suggestion was that if I see the vehicle again then I should dial 999.

If anyone sees this vehicle parked up anywhere, feel free to do what you wish to it!   

[Greenbank]

The vehicle is not registered in the UK - and I know this isn't just a line from the police as I checked before I went to the cop shop.  It's not insured either and AFAIK American insurers don't provide cover for driving in the UK.  As the vehicle is not registered they can't trace the driver - even though they could contact the 'Merkins for the driver's detail, I suspect that might be a little too much effort for the Met.

You never know, it may just have been imported, in which case the various databases haven't caught up yet. And/or the driver may be insured third party thanks to a policy on another car.

The US system is like the UK. Being the registered owner of a vehicle is pretty much meaningless, and the registered owner has a lovely get out clause of not being able to remember who was driving the car at any particular time.

Their only suggestion was that if I see the vehicle again then I should dial 999.

Interesting. Did you think this is because of this incident specifically or might there be more on file that they weren't saying?

I'd have though they'd be able to find a car pretty quickly if they wanted to. There's an awful lot of NPR cameras in London not least thanks to the congestion charge and the ring of steel.

[Polar Bear]

That plate will show up as unidentified to TfL congestion charging.  If the OB wanted to track it it would be easy for TfL to tell them where and when it crops up within the zone.

Dunno if that's legal though ...

[PhilO]

And/or the driver may be insured third party thanks to a policy on another car.

IANAL, but IFAIK DoC cover only allows you to drive another car with third party cover if that car is insured by somebody else. It is intended simply to allow you to occasionally legally drive somebody else's car. Each car must have it's own insurance policy (or be explicitly covered by a multiple vehicle policy, such as a dealer's) to be legal.

A few insurers have stopped giving this type of cover automatically, because to many people were, ahem, misunderstanding this point. 

[mattc]

Phil is right BUT
he could have another policy and bolt-on the d1ckmobile for a fortnight say, in which case I'm guessing it still wouldn't show up on the Big Databases. Maybe.