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Caravan lorry close miss (YouTube user jthefishy)Video: Caravan firm "horrified" after cyclist suffers shocking near-miss
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
the drivers intent is all too clear
another label for "punishment pass" is "cowards pass" would be great if this phrase came into common usage
a cyclist with less experience would not be around to post the video
This is something I worry about. The ready acceptance of weak excuses for those sort of "accidents" (especially when there's often only one participant left to give their version) combined with the frequency of acts like the one reported here, makes one wonder. It would seem implausible that no punishment-pass had ever, in the entire history of driving, resulted in a serious accident.
The fact that these two phenomena (punishment passes and motorists mysteriously driving into cyclists from behind) both undoubtedly exist suggests to me that there's probably some overlap and at least some of these deaths may in fact be close to murder. The trouble is without perfect video evidence we can never know which ones.
If society is going to give motorists the benefit of the doubt and accept questionable excuses for rear-ending cyclists, then it needs to seriously crack-down on those who are caught doing things like this.
They even have this in the statistics somewhere, it being the accidents where the driver says that the cyclist swerved out, so they ran them down, of course if they had been leaving a gap then the typical 1foot swerve would not matter.
Four foot gap is plenty, if you need more then may be you shouldn't be on the road.
To be clear: the Dutch minimum and recommended separation between cyclists and 100+kph vehicles is ***10 meters***.
Meaning you will never find a Dutch cyclist being passed at four or fourteen or twenty-four feet distance by a vehicle on an open road.
Four feet is not plenty. Ever. Four feet is a car door and a slight wobble, or a large wing mirror and a gust of wind.
Vehicular cyclists can play in the lovely traffic all they like. But don't make out the other 99.999% of us want to or should.
LOL really?, really? this site really does seem to attract the low life's.
How about you let someone drive a several tonne hgv past you at the fastest speed possible with 4 feet in the worst weather conditions possible and we will see if you change your mind? ; )
*waits for the predictable reply*
Well, I sympathise with both pov on this one. Having gotten out the tape-measure I have to say I'd be overjoyed if motorists started regularly allowing 4 feet - its a _lot_ more than many of them currently do (more like 4 inches in some cases).
But the "you shouldn't be on the road" bit was unnecessarily dismissive and a trifle macho. Realistically, getting more people cycling will quite likely require a lot more than just a 4 feet clearance habit with everything else remaining the same.
lol, you sympathise with four feet being sufficient? wow just wow.
Weren't you the person who said they would hit a rider for riding through a red light? If so it speaks volumes.
The cycling community need to pressure the caravan company to name, shame, and sack this guy. Get him off the roads. If the company aren't prepared to sack him for his gross misconduct and endangering someone's life, then this video needs to go viral with the name of the company plastered all over it.
We DO have some power. The internet gives us that power. Use it.
You seem to make a habit of not reading what people say before you reply. Oh well.
Oh yeah - you also make stuff up, it seems.
Great stuff, guys... argue amongst yourselves on forums about politics whilst people are getting fucking murdered on the roads by maniacs.
The incident is an example of appalling driving, but personally I would still have been making some use of the bike lane. I figure it is better to be a few inches from a stationary light post than a few inches from a moving truck.
The other thing is: did he have earphones in? If I hear a large engine coming behind me and I can move left, I do. Yes, I know, shouldn't have to etc etc. But it is better to give a bit and alive than be asserting your right, and dead.
None of this excuses the conduct of the driver, which is criminal.
Oh the irony.... and it isn't made up, i remember reading it ; )
That wasn't a clear miss it was attempted murder! The driver clearly also cut in as he passes. As the cyclists says another cyclists, perhaps less experienced could easily have been pulled under the trailing caravan.
Totally frightening, sickening. The driver must be made an example of, to save lives of the next unfortunate cyclist who this happens to.
Police must take it serious as must the Transport manager of the company Mark Turley - would you buy anything from this company if its not dealt with appropriately?
The company should be able to fire the driver for gross misconduct by way of bringing the company into disrepute.
So no HR guff required, the fact he done it in a sign written vehicle makes it easy to bullet the guy.
Absolutely, anything less than firing would be disgraceful, the driver should be in prison.
Blimey. That is really worrying. I think I would have looked over my right shoulder and drifted into the vehicles path
'a smelly, marginal communist who chooses to use a child's toy as his means of transport'.
source for this quote?
When daily and i mean daily direct action is taken will anything change, it has to be every single day and cause "traffic" problems for *anything* to change and even then they will either probably arrest you on some bullshit charge or bump you off most likely to continue the status quo.
As for the pco, just ask cyclegaz about them, complete waste of time judging from their responses i've seen.
You all know a lot of taxi drivers are ex police officers right?
I think you mean 'misreading it'. To put it mildly. I note you got it wrong this time as well. Where did I say anything about four feet being 'sufficient'? I said it was a lot more than I currently get and would be a welcome improvement but that it _wouldn't_ be sufficient to get many people cycling who presently don't because most are more risk-averse than those like me who cycle in current conditions.
You do seem to specialise in not reading what people say, that's_exactly_ what you do, repeatedly.
I have had lorries go past at speed and four foot has been fine, unlike the commuters, I ride for pleasure/sport and use open roads such as 60mph rated roads and if a vehicle leaves four foot I'm happy. I am also confident enough in my cycling to know I won't wobble and fall underneath its wheels. I also fly downhills on a mountain with no gap at all in places such as Swinley Forest or the Forest or the Forest of Dean. So yeah four is enough for a competent cyclist. Next I'm going to hear big vehicles go faster in cities than they do on open roads I suppose.
This bloke should lose his job and be dealt with harshly by the Police but some of you seem to want the earth with it. You moan about a four foot gap but I bet you would still moan if it was five.
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.
I am fully aware of what you said, keep ignoring what I say though, it was clear what you said and speaks volumes about your "character". Don't bother replying as it will not be read but I know you will anyway, you just can't let it go ; )
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.
Driver has been sacked http://www.caravantimes.co.uk/news/people/human-interest/forest-of-dean-...$21384068.htm
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
Just thought I would throw my "two penith" worth in
I work in the industry and know these guys really well. I don't know which driver it was (but I could guess) but most of them are a good bunch. If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it. A big argument for cameras. I was nearly knocked off by a bus recently, and after emailing the bus company, I got the usual standard "were taking action" response. Knowing Mark, I know he will be taking this very seriously. Again, is it an argument for cameras to be in all large vehicles?
Quick advert :0 I sell caravans for Michael Jordan Caravans, some days I feel I am the most hated man on the roads. Or at least by Jeremy Clarkson
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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