Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Near Miss of the Day 111: Clear straight road apparently not clear or straight enough

Warning: Video features strong language

We’re in Inverness today, where a driver delivers a close pass of a young cyclist despite having plenty of time and space to avoid doing so.

Hamish’s 16-year-old son Jed was riding a road bike with a flashing rear light on February 25 along the B862 between Scaniport and Dores.

On a clear, straight road in broad daylight, a driver passes him alarming closely at speed (drawing some strong language in response). The driver behind then gives a demonstration of what could easily have happened instead.

The incident was reported to police who have written to the owner of the vehicle. However, Hamish said he was told that it would be difficult to prove it was a case of dangerous driving.

> Near Miss of the Day turns 100 - Why do we do the feature and what have we learnt from it?

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 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.

> What to do if you capture a near miss or close pass (or worse) on camera while cycling

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

Add new comment

8 comments

Avatar
the_jm | 6 years ago
2 likes

It's not hard to prove dangerous driving. It's hard to get a conviction unless you're willing to get all of the jury to sit on a bike whilst somebody overtakes them like that.

 

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds replied to the_jm | 6 years ago
0 likes

the_jm wrote:

It's not hard to prove dangerous driving. It's hard to get a conviction unless you're willing to get all of the jury to sit on a bike whilst somebody overtakes them like that.

But reducing the charges by coming up with a specific lesser charge that is proven to let off killer motorists and indeed not charging at all does not resolve things, it simply justifies the action as a non event and also add in a massive dose of victim blaming. Weakening the stance only makes matters worse, there's clear evidence this is the case.

Instead of addressing the problem of juries not convicting the powers that be simply lowered the bar of responsibility.

Avatar
BehindTheBikesheds | 6 years ago
3 likes

How can it be difficult to prove dangerous driving for police based on this very clear and obvious case? It's clear from the reaction alone that the person felt fear of harm and as such an assault has occured in any case.

I hope the same officer wouldn't mind if I did that to them in a 40 ton HGV whilst in their panda car, yeah thought not you bunch of oath breaking bias fucktards!

Avatar
fenix | 6 years ago
2 likes

Bollox is it difficult to prove who was driving.

Go to the YouTube link and play it at slow speed. Now compare to the person who answers the door at the address of the car.

Crap lazy driving.

Avatar
Hirsute | 6 years ago
1 like

"The sun was in my eyes"

Avatar
Leviathan replied to Hirsute | 6 years ago
3 likes

hirsute wrote:

"The sun was in my eyes"

It is 93 million miles away, I don't see how it could have been.

Avatar
brooksby | 6 years ago
0 likes

Is this the same “long straight road” effect that means that the better the visibility on an approach to a zebra crossing, the less likely oncoming vehicles are to actually let pedestrians cross on it?

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
1 like

Potty mouthed twat!

Latest Comments