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Video: Caravan firm "horrified" after cyclist suffers shocking near-miss

Forest of Dean Caravans says it will take disciplinary action against driver filmed passing rider with inches to spare

A manager at a Gloucestershire company has said he is “horrified” at a video showing one of its vehicles speeding past a cyclist on the A59 at Samlesbury, Lancashire with barely inches to spare. The company, Forest of Dean Caravans, had been alerted to the video by a Twitter user who had seen it. The cyclist involved has told road.cc he believes the close pass was not only dangerous, but also deliberate.

The video, filmed at around 7.10am on Wednesday and posted to YouTube by user jthefishy, shows just how close the flatbed lorry, carrying one caravan and towing another, came to striking the cyclist. The potential consequences of that are obvious.

It’s clear the driver of the lorry saw the cyclist – the horn was sounded loudly and at length as the vehicle came up behind the rider, alarming enough in itself.

If you watch the video at work, you may wish to turn the sound down – there’s some (understandably) strong language.

In subtitles to the YouTube video, jthefishy said: “There is plenty of space and no oncoming cars etc. Other cars and wagons give me loads of space. They use the centre of the road to give me loads of space.”

He added: “Unfortunately I cannot work out his registration or company name. If anyone can help please do.”

The vehicle was quickly identified as belonging to Forest of Dean Caravans, based in Parkend, Gloucestershire.

The cyclist added: “There is an unsuitable cycle track at the side of the road which is a shared one with no rights of way and loads of lamp posts and signs in the middle of it! That is probably why he had a problem.”

This afternoon, road.cc spoke to the cyclist, named Jon, who works near the location where the close pass took place.

He told us: “When I heard the horn, I thought it was one of my mates, but when it continued I knew it wasn’t.”

Alerted by the noise to the fact something was going on, he didn’t look over his shoulder – something that could have taken him off his line – but kept riding straight on.

As the lorry went past, Jon was getting ready to put his hand out to gesticulate – luckily, though, he didn’t do that before the caravan being towed passed him.

“I’m a big bloke,” said Jon. “If it had been someone lighter, or not so good at holding their line, it could have been fatal.”

He described the driver as a “flaming idiot,” and said “I’d like to see him get points on his licence and severely reprimanded at work.”

But he said that so long as this was an isolated incident rather than repeat behaviour, he wouldn’t want to see the driver lose his job.

“I make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, and we need tolerance on the roads,” he went on.

“But I would like to see him get prosecuted, because it was dangerous and it was deliberate,” added Jon, who believes the driver’s action was as a result of him not using the cycle path.

Jon has contacted Lancashire Constabulary to report the incident, but hasn’t heard back from them yet.

It’s the second time he’s contacted police over video footage of bad driving, and he told us on the previous occasion they did speak to the driver involved.

Mike Stead, who is on Twitter as @tweetymike, posted a message to the social network in which he described the incident as “borderline attempted murder.”

He took it upon himself to contact Forest of Dean Caravans and spoke to its transport manager, Mark Turley, who said he was “horrified” at the footage in the video.

Mr Turley added that “disciplinary action” would be taken against the driver when he returned and that the company would co-operate in any police investigation.

The family-owned firm has said that it is preparing a statement to reassure cyclists about the action it is taking.

We asked Mike why he felt compelled to act. He told us: "Social media can be great for raising awareness, but ranting/retweeting don't change much.

“Engaging with firms, helping them understand the depth of feeling and suggesting how to progress is the way to go.

“They're more likely to follow through and change or enforce policy and practice," he added.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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127 comments

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racyrich | 10 years ago
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The reason why 4 ft or 5 ft or whatever is still miserly is because in 99% of cases once the overtaking vehicle has taken part of the oncoming lane it could just as well have taken all of it at no extra cost or inconvenience. Not doing so just demonstrates the usual mix of laziness, selfishness and contempt.

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Posh | 10 years ago
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I suggest that once the police have completed their efforts that this is taken up with the HSE. The HSE won't do anything until the police have completed their investigations, however if the police don't pursue it the HSE may do so subject to a lower standard of proof.
Above all else these situations must be pursued as the authirities may see a pattern arising with repeat offenders.

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dodgy | 10 years ago
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average_joe | 10 years ago
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Fair play to Forest of Dean Caravans, they've sacked the lunatic. Hopefully the police will be as robust when they consider the case.

http://www.caravantimes.co.uk/news/people/human-interest/forest-of-dean-...$21384068.htm

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freespirit1 | 10 years ago
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How about some people saying thank you to the company concerned in all this.
The driver has been sacked as called for.

It really would be courteous.

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northstar | 10 years ago
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I'll assume the driver wasn't then until I see the proof with my own eyes.

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Shep73 | 10 years ago
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If he has lost his job then he has got what he deserved, it should be his licence as well though.

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oldstrath replied to freespirit1 | 10 years ago
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So you'd like thanks to the company because they employed one (at least) aggressive would be killer, and then sacked him because he got caught? Thanks would be more appropriate if they did something about stopping this in advance.

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Beefy replied to dodgy | 10 years ago
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dodgy wrote:

Driver has been sacked http://www.caravantimes.co.uk/news/people/human-interest/forest-of-dean-...$21384068.htm

I am gob smacked! Followed the thread and there is an idiot called Ann defending the driver, as her road tax has paid for all the cycle lanes so cyclist should use them and what if cyclist had put his hand out to turn left? That would explain it, ignoring that there is no left turn there! How on earth do these sad people pass the driving test? Best hope her little car never gets run off the road by a HGV, ( sorry being sexist, her large car).

It's made me so mad!  102

Well done to caravan owner though credit when it's due, I know nothing would have happened with out video, but the guy got what he deserved. I strongly believe the police will look very foolish if they take weaker action than his employer.

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northstar replied to oldstrath | 10 years ago
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oldstrath wrote:

So you'd like thanks to the company because they employed one (at least) aggressive would be killer, and then sacked him because he got caught? Thanks would be more appropriate if they did something about stopping this in advance.

Still no proof the driver has been sacked...

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Flying Scot replied to northstar | 10 years ago
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 102 ŷ

northstar wrote:
oldstrath wrote:

So you'd like thanks to the company because they employed one (at least) aggressive would be killer, and then sacked him because he got caught? Thanks would be more appropriate if they did something about stopping this in advance.

Still no proof the driver has been sacked...

I doubt you will get any either, I'm fairly sure that saying too much would result in a tribunal for prejudicing the numpties chances of future employment. Law in this regard is heavily weighted to the employee.

Alternative would be for them to suspend him on full pay pending an investigation or prosecution,which costs them time, money, they can't employ a replacement and its crap PR.

I'm fairly confident he will have been dismissed,
PR suicide otherwise, and they are within the law to do so, what they can't do legally is publicly name and shame the guy.

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levermonkey replied to freespirit1 | 10 years ago
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freespirit1 wrote:

How about some people saying thank you to the company concerned in all this.
The driver has been sacked as called for.

It really would be courteous.

Hear! Hear!

Too often in these discussion threads we hear "I reported it but the company did nothing!".

This company has had an incident reported to them and dealt promptly with it in a manner that sends a clear message to their other drivers as to what standard of conduct is expected of them, and the consequences of not complying with them.

Well done.

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Yorkshie Whippet | 10 years ago
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I notice the resident HGV drivers don't seem to be saying much. No tales of poorly lit or no hi-viz.

Sad to say this is getting more and more common. The only way to stop it is to tie said drivers to a stake as their vehicle is driven at them at speed. Make them understand how it feels.

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mattsccm | 10 years ago
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I did post this about 3;30 but can't see it so sorry if its a double post.
This company is a mile from me. their vehicles are lethal. I have been forced to a stop on bike, m/c and car plenty of times and touch twice on my bike. after I wrote this I emailed these facts to the company.
For what its worth the company owners will take this seriously I believe. I suspect its one driver .

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bikebot | 10 years ago
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I do hope his employer will do more than put a sticker on his mirror.

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Sub5orange | 10 years ago
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Must have watched top gear and taken the advice of giving cyclists an inch literally. The driver is clearly incompetent and or acted in complete spite and disregard of a fellow human being. In my opinion he does not deserve to keep his job and he should consider his professional future. if he gets sacked he will more likely then not end up driving trucks somewhere else. Scary

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Cyclic | 10 years ago
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I don't think a local business should be punished for the idiocy of its employees if the company takes proper action against transgressions when they occur. We wait to see what action they will actually take. If this driver does this task for a living then there really is only one action for such negligence and I'm sorry to say that he/she should be looking for another job. As a professional aviator, we have spies in the cockpit that are downloaded after every flight. If I was to blatantly disregard the operating procedures of the company I would lose my job. I and this driver are responsible for other peoples' well being and if I decide to play roulette with their lives then I can expect the worst - no difference in this case. Forest of Dean Caravans MD...the ball is in your court.

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firefox999 | 10 years ago
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Probably the worst piece of driving I have seen full stop!!
I feel so appalled I think that people should e-mail the company and voice there concerns as I did.
Please feel free to e-mail them at info [at] forestofdeancaravans.co.uk
Perhaps they will do something about it

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Gennysis | 10 years ago
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I perceive this as a totally unacceptable close pass.

BUT - What is a close pass from a legal perspective?

When it comes down to it only the legal perspective matters.

Highway code 168:
You SHOULD give cyclists as much room as you would when overtaking a car.

The Met police website says (http://content.met.police.uk/Site/roadsafelondon):
Video footage:

"Occasionally, people refer us to video footage... They must not rely on a perception of distance such as a close pass as the apparent distance will vary according to the type camera and settings. There are other issues with video evidence, such as parallax error, which makes objects appear close together when they are seen in line."

This suggests that video evidence is not enough itself to prove a close pass.

As a cyclist, if you are passed too closely by another vehicle- where do you stand in terms of the law?

What space does the law entitle me to as a cyclist and how does it define and defend this?

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NickK123 | 10 years ago
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EMail sent.

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Neil Smith 48 | 10 years ago
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Clearly too close. But in a subsequent clip, I think the cyclist undermines his case by speeding down a hill & overtaking a car. I thought the speed limit applied to bikes as well as vehicles. Regardless, the overtake was risky and does put others at risk.

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harrybav | 10 years ago
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What I'd like to see is "Hi, Caravan firm here, Many apologies. We've started a drivers' Awareness of Cyclists course for all drivers, and look, here on youtube is the video that we use as part of the 1 day course that is repeated every 18 months".

On Youtube you can see one or more of Lothian Buses' dealing-with-bikes video. Having them visible to outsiders is a good move.

"Driver disciplined" doesn't do it. I'd be more worried by this guy now than before in fact.

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Simon E | 10 years ago
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I've had some close passes but this is far worse. Can't help but feel a bit sick, and wonder about the rider's confidence (and his family, if he dares show them this footage).

The company should sack the driver and report him to the police themselves, they'd do it readily enough if he stole company property. The bloke should not be allowed behind the wheel.

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Hensteeth | 10 years ago
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Unacceptable driving to put it mildly. He is a professional driver. He gets paid to drive. His driving should be at a higher standard than people who aren't paid to drive. He should have his licence revoked inc. his car licence. Lose his job. Be put on an anger management course. Made to sit an extended test to get his licence back and checked on at regular intervals.
But it won't happen as it was probably just a joke. Some of you have no sense of humour.
 14

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Bez | 10 years ago
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"I make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, and we need tolerance on the roads"

In a way I admire his stoicism, but this wasn't a mistake. It was intentional. And was so, so close to being fatal.

Sorry, but a driver who does this should simply not have a licence. This is like having a gun licence and firing a bullet an inch from someone's head. It is entirely indefensible.

Even if he's happy to share the road with this moron, I'm sure as hell not. Tolerance we may need, but there is no reason on this earth why I, nor anyone, should tolerate that.

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BikeBud | 10 years ago
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I found that frightening from the safety of my sofa. I can't believe how close the truck was. Absolutely terrifying.

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Shep73 | 10 years ago
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He should be reported and dealt with by the Police. A slap on the wrist from work won't stop him from doing it again.

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Sudor | 10 years ago
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Not only is the vehicle purposely too close it appears to pull in to the kerb well before the the trailer clears the cyclist indicating clear malicious intent.

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Yorkshie Whippet | 10 years ago
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Neil,

No my comment was not aimed at you. This is a perfect example of how useless lights and hi-viz are. Unfortunately such near misses happen far too often for true comfort. In cab cameras are all well and good if the impact is at the front. Will they show the cyclist being sucked under the back wheels?

Preaching to the converted is ok. However until this road user is respected by other road users, it's nothing but hot air. To be honest I couldn't careless what measues hgv drivers need to take to protect themselves if I'm dead under their wheels because they've decided that ten seconds of their time is worth more than my life. I'm still waiting to see an article that reads" driver killed from impact with cyclist. "

Maybe I should get a better job and a larger/stonger vehicle.

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Artiaus | 10 years ago
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,The car gives ample room and lens not withstanding, the truck doesn't. They both overtake on a junction though, does this not matter if the vehicle they overtake is a bike? Are bikes counted as vehicles?

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