Taxi Driver Online

https://www.lep.co.uk/news/people/abused-every-time-i-go-out-on-my-scooter-how-one-preston-woman-is-fighting-back-against-disability-hate-crimes-3285390

Inez Wormell, 61, from Lea, has a spine condition, and has used her road-legal scooter for the past 10 years.


She said she has been spat at and is regularly shouted and sworn at by drivers and passengers in cars travelling on the same road as her.
"It happens a lot", she said. "Maybe three times a month I'll go out on my scooter and every time I am abused."

Inez Wormell on her road-legal scooter

On Friday, Inez said she suffered her worst experience yet, which has left her fearful of going out again.

At the junction of Layton Road and Blackpool Road, Inez was waiting at the T junction, indicating to go right. As she waited for an opportunity to pull out into the traffic, a taxi pulled alongside her, around six inches away from her scooter.

Inez said: "I glanced to look at him briefly, then turned back to the traffic. It was all quiet and as soon as it was clear, I moved out.

"He moved out a the same time, matching my speed, and then started to move into my path.
"He shouted to me 'You're not a car, you shouldn't be on the road!', and I had to swerve to avoid his wheel hitting me. Then I came to a stop in a lane of what would have been oncoming traffic, if any cars had have been there."

Inez said she was left "a bit of a mess", but managed to pull into the correct lane, then stopped on a pavement, while the taxi driver drove away.
Having mentally made a note of the taxi firm and part of the registration plate, she called the police, who initially took the matter seriously, but then told her that no road offence had occured, and it wouldn't be taken further.

She also said she rang the taxi company, but they were not interested in her complaint.
She said: "I can deal with being spat at, but this terrified me.
"this was dangerous. I'm six-and-a-half stone, I'm frail. What was his thought process? This was in broad daylight in the middle of the day.
"I'm not just thinking about myself here, I'm thinking about other people using the road."

So now it has been reported as hate crime

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Hate crime my arse.

FFS.

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IDFIMH

driver was in the wrong though and I think she wants something done about it

the problem is it's her word against his and I doubt this has been recorded on dashcam or video

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Indeed, but the rest of the article contextualises it all, and suggests that police will give the driver little more than a slapped wrist, provided he can even be identified: “We will be speaking to the taxi company involved in due course to try and trace the driver and shall be offering them words of advice."

And the third sector 'disability equality' organisation that's quoted will be big on rights and hate crimes. And note that they mention 'hate crimes and *incidents*'.

It's the hate *incidents* that's arguably more of a problem. So police probably won't pursue it as a *crime*, but they're duty bound to record it as a hate *incident*, irrespective of any evidence or whether the complaint is proportionate.

And this would appear on the driver's DBS, as far as I know.

And possibly another example of police only pursuing something when the press or another organisation gets involved.