On the go reporting of dangerous driving to the police
With the game changing “Report Dangerous Driving Form” presented here, you will be able to inform the police efficiently and quickly about critical road encounters. Do it before even arriving home from your coffee ride and without need to stop at a police station!
“The pen is mightier than the sword”
adage penned by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1839
F.A.Q. — Table of Content
What is this « Report Dangerous Driving Form » (RDDF) about ?
Why report especially drivers? Isn’t his unfair, think about the many jaywalking pedestrians or cyclists jumping red light!
Are all the drivers “dangerous”?
Before using the RDDF for a specific reporting, it is always advisable that you question yourself: A.I.T.A.?
You just experienced a dangerous situation and you want to report the driver?
I want to use the RDDF, what do I need?
Why not making the RDDF digital, in app form?
But isn’t this like denunciation in a totalitarian regime ?
When should I use the RDDF (and when not) ?
Should I just “inform” the police or should I “file a formal complaint” ?
What will the police do with your filled out RDDF ?
Why is the RDDF written in French, I would need it in another language ?
This RDDF is for Luxembourg, but I have to deal with a situation abroad. What can I do ?
You want to create a version of the RDDF in another language or for another country/region?
Is the use of the RDDF officially endorsed by the police?
You are a driver and you are completely against this “RDDF” (as presented here)!
You think that the RDDF could be ameliorated or you do have specific requests?
What is this « Report Dangerous Driving Form » (RDDF) about ?
This paper form has been created to solve the problem of under-reporting of dangerous driving in our daily lives. Many people do not have the time or the skills to write to the police about dangerous situations that happened to them.
Quoting very freely Brandolini’s law, also known as the bullshit asymmetry principle: “The amount of energy needed to report a dangerous driving action is an order of magnitude larger than to produce it.”
The RDDF will help you easily, immediately and quickly capture all the information required to inform the police about what happened. The form in written contains the most typical situations. You just have to tick boxes and strike out parts of sentences not matching what just happened to you. If you have an envelope and a stamp with you too, you can send the RDDF to the police before even arriving at home.
By taking such immediate action, you will have peace of mind and you will give the police often missing hints about which drivers should be watched more closely.
Unreported, such drivers would remain a danger for others.
Why report especially drivers? Isn’t his unfair, think about the many jaywalking pedestrians or cyclists jumping red light!
“All drivers own SUVs.” You do disagree? Of course, not all drivers do own a SUV. Generalization is never the right thing to do. Because you saw two people in town today not respecting the rules, this does not mean that all the pedestrians are violating permanently the Code de la Route. The same reasoning applies for cycling people, driving people etc.
Every situation and every person’s behaviour has to be evaluated separately. Making this about one group against another group is one of the biggest perception biases out there.
So, why focus on reporting drivers of cars? Well, there is a concept called asymmetrical risk. 100 people jaywalking will not cause the same harm than one single driver hitting people on a crosswalk.
Agreed, jaywalking people can be annoying for you as a driver. But you will have to agree that they put their own life at risk (not yours), and that they probably quite well know what they are doing. On the other hand, there are horrifying figures in this country of people crossing by the book on zebras, and that are nevertheless hit by drivers. This is a fact, not an opinion!
Unreported, dangerous drivers will not question their own behaviour.
Are all the drivers “dangerous”?
No and yes.
We all have been dangerous at one point of our driving life.
Every driver (including yours truly) has at some point done stupid or dangerous things. Not always on purpose. We make errors. We learn and do not repeat. Most people are that way.
Some drivers are dangerous on a regular basis, because of how they see the road space and because they feel entitled to bend the rules. This is an important distinction.
In psychology, a small minority of people is considered to have psychopathic traits that favour dangerous driving without any empathy for what could happen to others outside their car. They genuinely believe that they own the road, that all the others are just obstacles etc. This is the kind of people that won’t wait a second because of oncoming traffic and will instead close pass you on an open road without leaving you the vital 1,5 m lateral distance. Such people will play with your life without feeling big emotions about it. They will explain to you in detail why they should personally be allowed to drive faster than the official speed limit and other stuff. These are exactly the kind of people that should be targeted with the RDDF!
Yours truly was once savagely close passed (< 20cm) by a guy with his girlfriend accelerating like a mad man in a zone 30. Of course, in rush hour traffic, I easily caught him back. You have to imagine that this guy did not even want to talk to me, he refused to lower his window.
Dangerous driving can also be the temporary result of an upset driver.
A dispute before taking the wheel can have major effects on the driving.
Last, but not least, dangerous driving can also be the consequence of incompetent driving. These are in my personal experience rarely the speeding drivers. The danger is more likely to come up when such drivers have to maneuver the car.
You can spot some dangerous situations in advance and avoid the danger! The 1999 book “Drive to Survive” by Curt Rich is an eye opening reading, that is probably even more relevant today than it was at the time of its release.
The intent of the RDDF is to systematically and easily report situations, in which drivers nearly caused a disaster, where they frightened us without any valid reason or where they knowingly exposed the life of vulnerable road users to unacceptable risks. Nothing more and nothing less.
Careful and respectful drivers do not have to worry.
Before using the RDDF for a specific reporting, it is always advisable that you question yourself: A.I.T.A.?
A.I.T.A. stands for “Am I the asshole?”
Do you routinely break the rules of the Code de la Route? In this case, I appeal to your fairness and suggest that you do not use the RDDF!
You just experienced a dangerous situation and you want to report the driver?
First question yourself: what did I do myself, that might have created that situation? Was I riding my bicycle close to the middle of the road, was I not indicating my turn, was I going too fast for the general circumstances etc.? Be honest and analyze the whole situation. If, and only if, you are convinced that you did nothing wrong and that the actions of the driver were not a forgivable mistake, consider using the RDDF to complain about that driver!
I want to use the RDDF, what do I need?
The « Report Dangerous Driving Form » (RDDF) has been designed to be a game changer. It is free, can be easily printed on a single DIN A4 page and you can have one or more with you on every ride.
You need a printout of the RDDF, a pen, an envelope and a stamp. This fits in the smallest cycling pocket, just put it in small plastic bag to protect it from moisture!
It is recommended to stop at a place where you can comfortably do the filling out. Your smartphone can be used to capture a copy of both sides of the form before sending the original to the police.
Why not making the RDDF digital, in app form?
Interested developers can of course do that.
The analogue, paper and pen based version has not to deal with some hurdles, a digital version would have (electronic signature etc.). Simplicity is key.
But isn’t this like denunciation in a totalitarian regime ?
No.
If your life has been unnecessarily endangered by a driver intentionally not respecting the laws, reporting this to the police is an act of self-defense and an act of care for other people that could soon become real victims of that same driver. There are limits to what you are allowed to do with a car on public streets and roads. Daily, we can read in the press the consequences of dangerous driving.
It is still up to the police and/or the justice what will be the consequences of your reporting.
When should I use the RDDF (and when not) ?
Participants in traffic make errors all the time every day. So do you! Obviously, the RDDF could easily be used several times a day by a person moving in the public space. Do not go for that. You will just annoy the police, ridicule yourself and waste everybody’s time.
It is suggested to decide to use the RDDF in specific cases, not at every single opportunity. Have you been personally put into danger ? Was it without doubt the result of driving with aggressive features (not a forgivable mistake)? Do you genuinely believe that the to be reported driver will sooner or later cause harm to others ? If you are reporting an illegally parked car, is it a repeated offender or someone who insulted you when asked to move? Was there real danger or annoyance resulting from that behaviour?
Never provoke reportable situations and pick your fights wisely !
Should I just “inform” the police or should I “file a formal complaint” ?
At the end of the second page, before signing the RDDF, you have to tick one of two boxes : do you just want to inform the police about what just happened, or do you express the will to formally file a complaint ?
Just informing the police is already not that bad. It is already way, way better than riding your bike home, while angrily ruminating about what just happened (and finally not doing anything about it). If you have been scared, it is your right to have that opinion and to tell it. The police will have knowledge in written that the driver of a specific car caused trouble to others. Some cases might interest them more than others, but they will for sure have a look at what you wrote.
Filing a formal complaint is something different. You will not be done with sending the RDDF, you will have to invest additional time (meet a police officer etc.). Also, think well. If, e.g. the driver had a passenger, that passenger could even testify against what you pretend happened! Were you in a group ride? Fine, then you have several witnesses that will back up what you declare.
When filing a formal complaint, you should ask yourself: am I really willing to possibly go to court and testify against the driver, who could — true story — subsequently in extreme cases loose his driving license ?
Again, pick your fights wisely !
What will the police do with your filled out RDDF ?
In case you tick the box, that your intent is just to inform the police, you still can change your mind and go for a formal complaint. At least the police knows that someone had an issue with a specific driver and would be able to file a formal complaint. We do not know for sure what the police will do with the information on the RDDF you sent them. Possibly nothing, but more likely is that they will at least check whether the car was road legal. If the owner and presumed driver is already known to them in a highly negative way, further consequences cannot be excluded. You might get a call, be ready for that.
In case you tick the box, that your intent is to formally file a complaint, the police has no other choice than to contact you for further action. An appointment for a meeting with an officer at a police station will be made. Together, a formal complaint will be written. The RDDF will still be useful to initiate that process in your time, so that you don’t have to seek out immediately a police station. The officer in charge will be in a position enabling him/her to already prepare something in written, which will hopefully help speed up things.
Why is the RDDF written in French, I would need it in another language ?
The RDDF has been initially created for Luxembourg, and French is the language of the local “Code de la Route”.
The “Report Dangerous Driving Form” (RDDF) is released under the terms of “Creative Commons” as non-profit public domain. You are totally free to share it, modify it, translate it and adapt it for your purposes. This means that you are free to create yourself the translation you need.
This RDDF is for Luxembourg, but I have to deal with a situation abroad. What can I do ?
If you are not in Luxembourg, there will of course be other police stations in charge. You have to find out those addresses and use them.
Future updates of this form might include more options. Let’s just start with Luxembourg.
The “Report Dangerous Driving Form” (RDDF) is released as non-profit public domain. You can share it, modify it, translate it, adapt it.
You want to create a version of the RDDF in another language or for another country/region?
The initial “Report Dangerous Driving Form” (RDDF) is released by @luxembourgize as non-profit public domain. You can share it, modify it, translate it, adapt it.
If they have the approval of @luxembourgize, future versions of the RDDF translated for other jurisdictions could additionally be listed in this blog post.
Follow @luxembourgize back on Twitter, and we can exchange in DM about how to do this the easiest way. @luxembourgize owns the Word document used to generate the PDF file of the RDDF offered here for free download.
Is the use of the RDDF officially endorsed by the police?
No. At least, not yet.
But there was obviously an unfulfilled demand for such a thing.
With your signature, you legally endorse the information you provide. The form is just a support, which has been designed to help you quickly and completely capture the relevant information.
You could as well write a normal letter, which would of course take you more time. Few people do this, and the result is a blind spot and the current under-reporting of dangerous driving.
You are a driver and you are completely against this “RDDF” (as presented here)!
Have you read this whole F.A.Q.? Yes? Ok, first ask yourself sincerely: A.I.T.A.?
Watch this short video: what is your opinion about what can be seen?
If you still don’t get it, answer just one simple question: how many drivers are yearly sent to hospital because of something a pedestrian or a cyclist did?
If you really still don’t get it, may I recommend to do a psychotherapy and elicit your world view with professional help. I am not kidding.
You think that the RDDF could be ameliorated or you do have specific requests?
Follow @luxembourgize back on Twitter, and we can exchange in DM about your suggestions.
End credits & Disclaimer
My special thanks go to my friends, who gave me a hand to put together the R.D.D.F. in French language with the right categories and features. Not all heroes wear capes, let’s call them Commissioner Gordon and Daredevil ;-)
I would also like to express my thanks to @foobar27, @grischard and @JeffCigrand for providing valuable input prior to the release of the R.D.D.F.: it has been taken into account!
@luxembourgize,this blog post and the proposed downloadable form is not responsible in any way for the way you drive or ride, neither for what you will do with the R.D.D.F. Follow the rules of the road, do not surprise, do not get surprised and be helpful and respectful towards the people you meet on the road. Always.
@luxembourgize is a road safety and biking activist. Follow him on Twitter.
