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Near Miss of the Day 46: Police invite submission of footage

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Surrey

A road.cc reader who copied in Surrey Police’s Twitter account when submitting a near miss video to us earlier today has been invited to send the footage to the force.

David Ladkin tweeted footage earlier today of a driver pulling out in front of him while he was on his commute at a crossroads where the cyclist had right of way.

A Twitter user replying to that tweet copied in the Surrey Police Roads Policing Unit, who asked David whether he had reported the incident.

A tweet from the main Surrey Police account told him what he needed to do.

The force’s Roads Policing Unit regularly uses Twitter to debunk myths held by some motorists about cyclists and the law, winning it fans among bike riders who use the social media platform.

One example came earlier this week when it replied to a Twitter user with a locked account who appears to have asked whether it was compulsory for people on bikes to use cycle lanes.

A great example to set, and one that any cyclist would welcome all police forces adopting.

Over the years road.cc has reported on literally hundreds of close passes and near misses involving badly driven vehicles from every corner of the country – so many, in fact, that we’ve decided to turn the phenomenon into a regular feature on the site. One day hopefully we will run out of close passes and near misses to report on, but until that happy day arrives, Near Miss of the Day will keep rolling on.

If you’ve caught on camera a close encounter of the uncomfortable kind with another road user that you’d like to share with the wider cycling community please send it to us at info [at] road.cc or send us a message via the road.cc Facebook page.

If the video is on YouTube, please send us a link, if not we can add any footage you supply to our YouTube channel as an unlisted video (so it won't show up on searches).

Please also let us know whether you contacted the police and if so what their reaction was, as well as the reaction of the vehicle operator if it was a bus, lorry or van with company markings etc.

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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14 comments

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Sevenfold | 6 years ago
0 likes

Exactly the same happened to me today in Coventry just a little bit closer & with an oncoming vehicle - BMW 5 Series LB05YVW who is FAR TOO IMPORTANT to wait for a cyclist. Reported to WM Police Traffic Process Office via email . Just awaiting their response.

Avatar
muhasib replied to Sevenfold | 6 years ago
2 likes
Sevenfold wrote:

Exactly the same happened to me today in Coventry just a little bit closer & with an oncoming vehicle - BMW 5 Series LB05YVW who is FAR TOO IMPORTANT to wait for a cyclist. Reported to WM Police Traffic Process Office via email . Just awaiting their response.

Two advisories on last MOT for front tyres described as 'borderline' and 'only just legal' , wonder if they have replaced them yet?

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Wolfshade | 6 years ago
1 like

Chapeau Surrey Police Twitter  1

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HLaB | 6 years ago
1 like

Well done Surrey Police its a scurge of all commuting cyclist from time to time. The time that freaked me out most was when it happened in the pitch black https://youtu.be/uKuqvLYkpmw

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Paul_C | 6 years ago
1 like

I've had this happen to me... I used my airhorn which brought him to a stop and he was rather sheepish when I told him I was worried that he hadn't even seen me as he came rather close...

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racyrich | 6 years ago
1 like

And then along came near miss 47. Normal police service resumed in Surrey.

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Beecho | 6 years ago
1 like

laugh Surrey plod.

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BetterNever | 6 years ago
6 likes

This manouvre is annoyingly common. I don't think it's necessarily smimity; they're not expecting you to give way. More that they think there's space to pull out and alongside you before accelerating away. But it leaves them having to judge some trickier road positioning, and in this case then misjudging the vehicle coming in the opposite direction, all because they couldn't be bothered to wait another five seconds. Arseholes.

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bsknight replied to BetterNever | 6 years ago
1 like
BetterNever wrote:

This manouvre is annoyingly common. I don't think it's necessarily smimity; they're not expecting you to give way. More that they think there's space to pull out and alongside you before accelerating away. But it leaves them having to judge some trickier road positioning, and in this case then misjudging the vehicle coming in the opposite direction, all because they couldn't be bothered to wait another five seconds. Arseholes.

It is similar to the ones who give you enough room when overtaking but thinking that their vehicle ends just behind the seat they are sitting, almost sideswipes you with their rear end as they pull back onto the LHS of the road.

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IanW1968 | 6 years ago
8 likes

@road cc 

You should re frame this story.

The point of interest is not the poor judgement of the driver in the video which is common place and unremarkable.

Its the response from Surrey Police when they are challanged on twitter. 

 

They need recognising and congratulating. 

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SingleSpeed | 6 years ago
1 like

What are the house prices like in Surrey this time of year?
 

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Goldfever4 | 6 years ago
4 likes

I have to chip in as well - lots of good stuff from Surrey Police there on twitter. Not as dry as some of the other forces' accounts and so good to see a genuine 'cycling too' attitude.

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dgcorp | 6 years ago
10 likes

Ditto "Wow"... Im HUGELY impressed by the road law cognisant & cycling-positive posts from that Twitter account. Big Big Kudos to @SurreyRoadCops

Now can those posts please be forwarded to every Police Twitter account... with a note asking them to read, learn & replicate!!

I'd also like to add that I'm a long time viewer of the Road.cc website... but have been getting so 'down' by all the negative coverage that I've been getting close to blocking myself from visiting the site. I understand the need to cover the brutal truth but so want to see cycling as a positive force!!

Cheers, Derek  1

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burtthebike | 6 years ago
9 likes

Wow!  Excellent response by the Surrey Police, and an example to some of their colleagues, many of whom would have shrugged their shoulders and said that since no-one was injured, they would not be taking any action.

Clearly the driver in this case needs to learn the lesson that just because you're in a big car, it doesn't give you right of way.  I hope prosecution follows swiftly, and punishment includes a lengthy ban.

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