The latest video in our Near Miss of the Day series is a nasty one – a cyclist coming downhill at speed who is subjected to a punishment pass from the driver of a lorry.
It was submitted by road.cc reader Phil, who told us: “Apologies for the colourful language but this was close and at around 35mph .
“I was out on a training ride in East Grinstead West Sussex in late September this year when for no reason this lorry pushed me off the road?
“The response from the driver was: ’That’s what you get for riding in the middle of the f***ing road!’.”
Phil added: “I have not reported this to the police.”
> 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’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@road.cc">info@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
66 thoughts on “Near Miss of the Day 212: Lorry driver makes punishment pass on cyclist for “riding in the middle of the “f***ing road” (includes swearing)”
And you’ve not reported this
And you’ve not reported this to the police because…?
brooksby wrote:
Because of the shit riding afterwards on the wrong side of the road and traffic island?
brooksby wrote:
Because he’d get done for wanton and furious cycling?
Completely fucking idiotic response going up the outside of the wagon to yell at the driver but I guess that’s adrenaline for you.
kil0ran wrote:
Agreed that the ‘going up the outside of the truck’ (or, getting into the other lane on the approach) wasn’t the best.
I’m not entirely convinced that “hanging out of a cab window shouting down at a cyclist while driving my HGV onto a roundabout at speed” was particularly safe driving, either….
kil0ran wrote:
Yep, that would have induced a shot of adrenaline, resulting in a fight or flight response.
What this shows is going after the lorry driver hasn’t helped. The driver clearly wanted to cause the cyclist distress and showing him just how much distress he caused has probably made him think job well done.
The bad riding afterwards doesn’t help, as it appears the cyclist is acting as dangerously as the driver (even though any risk is mainly to the cyclist and I don’t want to be too critical as it’s an action taken in the heat of the moment).
But armed with cameras and knowledge gleaned from these close pass videos, if caught up in something like this, it’s clear that trying to remain calm, gathering evidence (such as face video and calling out number plate to record on audio) without confrontation, offers the best chance of changing behaviours. Firstly through police action and failing that by shaming of companies/individuals via social media.
HoarseMann wrote:
Did you really just compare an HGV driver driving criminally putting another persons life at risk to the cyclists actions which doesn’t?
REALLY?
That’s the problem, you are a cyclist and even youi can’t see the difference between a criminal action that causes death and one that does not, or are you going to produce stats/instances of cyclists getting killed doing this kind of thing, certainly if you find one or two from over the years, it is clearly outnumbered by the deaths/SI of cyclists being struck by motorists from being close passed/run right over the top of. So the reaction does not equal the initial reckless, dangerous, criminal act, not even close!
That you do compare them is offensive.
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
You offend easily, flower.
Plasterer’s Radio wrote:
He’s right – they’re just not comparable.
One of the people in the video is titting about with what 30? 40? tons of HGV with a chance of killing another road user if it goes even more wrong than it already had gone.
Yet armchair warriors on here make more of a point of addressing the behaviour of the cyclist who was full of adrenaline, reacting to the close pass and THEN the brake test at a pinch point in the road.
That is fucking offensive.
Plasterer’s Radio wrote:
So you have nothing to contribute except a sarky comment and are too limited to grasp why it’s offensive, so if I rape your partner and then he/she comes back at me to have a pop after I’ve left the scene, that’s comparable right?
Fuck off stupid cunt
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
Now that’s a slap down.
I think what Plasterer’s Radio has done here is casually walked right on to many a cyclists trigger point. So much of the issues we face today, is hinged around an inability, or refusal to acknowledge the difference between the risk and associated responsibilities of cyclists and other road users.
As has been said to death… piss about in a car and you can kill people… piss about on a bike you can get yourself killed. This difference, is fundamental to why there is legislation, strict yet rarely fully enforced legislation that regulates what people do with a potentially lethal machine. It is absolutely fair that the same rules do not apply to cyclists and pedestrians, as they are not going to kill anyone.
Failing to acknowledge that difference on a bike forum is always going to get a strong response.
You offend easily, flower.
[/quote]
So you have nothing to contribute except a sarky comment and are too limited to grasp why it’s offensive, so if I rape your partner and then he/she comes back at me to have a pop after I’ve left the scene, that’s comparable right?
Fuck off stupid cunt
[/quote]
1. I contributed earlier in this comments section, Flower. Do your homework.
2. You call me names over the internet. That makes you a Keyboard Ninja. Very weak and amusing for me to see you expose yourself as such. I’d say that to you in person; you wouldn’t do the same with your comments above.
3. Your previous comment proves that you offend easily, as I pointed out. Thanks for doing that!
BehindTheBikesheds wrote:
If you read the bit in brackets, I said the only person the cyclist is really putting at risk is himself. So no, I did not compare them as equivalent at all. The point I am trying to make (probably badly) is the riding afterwards doesn’t help as the police will likely take a dim view of it. It could “appear” dangerous to a non-cyclist, such as the copper reviewing the footage. But as I said, it was a heat of the moment call fuelled by adrenaline, so I do not want to be critical of the rider (plus he wouldn’t have got the driver mugshot without it). Just that there’s something here I think I can learn from.
@road.cc “punishment pass AKA
@road.cc “punishment pass AKA cowards pass” please…[/wanders off]
antigee wrote:
Not sure what point you’re trying to make? [/hangs around]
CygnusX1 wrote:
would like road.cc and cycling press to drive the rest of the media (social or old style) towards using “cowards pass” to describe a driver [i]deliberately[/i] choosing to close pass a cyclist or group of cylists AKA is a good half way house …. not hanging around for the blaming the cyclist stuff ..truck driver had plenty of room and time to spare to slow after the pass and the road layout encourages
antigee wrote:
“Murder pass” would be better.
At that speed I would of been
At that speed I would of been bang in the middle of the lane, roundabout approaching, take the road. Trucker could of easily killed him either by hitting him or draft suction pulling him under the wheels. I would of reported it because the trucker was driving recklessly and with dangerous intent
that white line is not a
that white line is not a cycle lane, it’s the fog line which indicates the edge of the normal highway…
Very dangerous overtake. Not
Very dangerous overtake. Not sure if many would have taken the lane here on this fast ‘clear’ road, and the secondary position looks a much smoother road surface. As difficult as it may be, there is no real advantage to a driver confrontation; keep calm and send video to police.
Well, the company the driver
Well, the company the driver works for is K2 Transport @K2Transport. A good place to start asking questions if this driver is still employed? Are they aware of this dangerous pass?
Clearly the driver was in a
Clearly the driver was in a foul mood about something and the cyclist just happened to be the nearest non-threatening thing he could intimidate without risk to himself. Apart from the dangerous, unnecessary pass, he then stops at the traffic calming feature, blocking the road, and if I’d have been on that bike, I’d have gone around the outside of it too. And I’d have reported it.
burtthebike wrote:
Surprised it took 13 posts before someone mentioned the deliberate stop at the traffic calming feature. I’d have ridden around it, too, scared that the driver was now going to climb out of his cab.
spacedyemeerkat wrote:
Fair point, but I probably* wouldn’t have called the 800lb gorilla bad names first, just escalated the situation.
*I’ve had a similar confrontation where I got passed at 50mph plus by a container lorry and the slipstream sucked me towards the rear wheels. Fucking terrifying and I was fully prepared to go full postal on the driver – fortunately for both of us he ran a red light.
kil0ran wrote:
Oh, I know and agree. But it’s so, so easy for me to say that from the comfort of my office where the biggest threat is obnoxious emails from colleagues or customers. Totally different on the road when someone’s thirty seconds is seemingly more important than my (or your) life.
This needs to be reported to
This needs to be reported to Sussex Police and can be done via Operation Crackdown, preferably giving them an opportunity to get a Notice of Intended Prosecution to the company within two weeks of it happening.
https://webcontact.sussex.police.uk/ASDPRS/
Nobody deserves to share the road with drivers this bad.
Oh, I’d say this needs to be
Oh, I’d say this needs to be reported to the police.
I’d agree that the cyclist is going to get dragged over the coals, but what you have video evidence of is a dangerous overtake and a later admission that it was a deliberate action.
In theory, the driver should be dragged over the coals a lot longer and harder than the cyclist.
Jimmy Ray Will wrote:
Agreed.
Please submit this to the police.
Lucky the cyclist didn’t have
Lucky the cyclist didn’t have a head on, at least that would have solved the problem of killing him for the driver.
Not surprising the cyclist went apeshit after that attempt to kill him.
Not sure how he would get on with submitting footage as in Essex it would likely be disregarded for cycling on the wrong side of the road.
Submission to the firm though is needed.
If you don’t report it to
If you don’t report it to Police then he will simply continue to harass other cyclists.
kevvjj wrote:
100% in agreement. If you have a camera, and don’t use it in cases like this, what’s the point?
In addition, I would be emailing and calling his employers and asking them what they think of his driving. It isn’t his place to be handing out punishment, and the cyclist wasn’t “in the middle ” of the road anyway.
And you all calling him out for his being on the wrong side of the road, what is wrong with you? Do you like being treated like dirt?
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
Because
a) he risked a headon due to being unable to see
b) some Police disregard evidence if you also demonstrate wrong doing
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
If you don’t report it to Police then he will simply continue to harass other cyclists.
— Daveyraveygravey 100% in agreement. If you have a camera, and don’t use it in cases like this, what’s the point? In addition, I would be emailing and calling his employers and asking them what they think of his driving. It isn’t his place to be handing out punishment, and the cyclist wasn’t “in the middle ” of the road anyway. And you all calling him out for his being on the wrong side of the road, what is wrong with you? Do you like being treated like dirt?— kevvjj
There’s nothing stopping you having a word with the company. Here’s their contact details…
http://www.k2transport.co.uk/
There may be reasons why the cyclist involved doesn’t want to take it further.
Perhaps in cases where a commercial vehicle is involved, road.cc might consider contacting the company for a statement?
Daveyraveygravey wrote:
His employers ARE aware of it and are investigating it… Not overly impressed that their 40 ton advert was used that way.
Tricky one this.
Tricky one this.
Does Phil report it and simultaneously dob himself in for dangerous cycling? It would be a travesty to see the truck driver get away with this though.
But I can see why he hasn’t reported it.
simonmb wrote:
It would be worth the charge, if that is the case.
But really, how do you think you would have reacted in the same situation? It would be a struggle to remain calm.
I can guarantee I would be in the exact same mood after that sort of pass.
bagseye wrote:
Me too. The comments berating the cyclist’s behaviour are a sad indictment of the state of our roads. Drivers behave terribly in fucking massive vehicles and the expected response is a stoic shrug from the cyclist.
But, Phil, if you’re reading these comments, do report it. That heart-attack-in-waiting might actually clip someone before he does the decent thing and shuffles off the planet prematurely.
Guarantee this is gonna end
Guarantee this is gonna end up on Mail Online/SubStandard as being the cyclist’s fault
I’m probably more annoyed by
I’m probably more annoyed by people who don’t report this type of driving than I am by the incident itself. If our own don’t do the right thing don’t expect the police or average driver to do the right thing either.
Yes, the pass was terrible.
Yes, the pass was terrible. No, reporting it will not achieve anything. The police don’t care at the best of tunes, and they certainly won’t care for the cycling that followed the pass, adrenaline be damned.
vonhelmet wrote:
Some do, some don’t.
Quite why there is so much disparity is hard to fathom.
vonhelmet wrote:
I have had success with submitting video to the police, so you are clearly misinformed.
The police seem to be more interested in “intentional” bad driving and especially aggression, so I would imagine that they would be pressing for a prosecution in this case.
hawkinspeter wrote:
Ok, so shall we have a wager on whether the police do anything if the OP reports it? I say they won’t, but they will take the time to tell the cyclist off for his behaviour after the pass.
Of course, we both know the OP won’t even report it because he knows his own footage incriminates him.
FWIW my assessment that the police don’t care is coloured by the fact that my bike was written off when a driver coming the other way turned across my path sending me over the bonnet. The driver got sent on a driver improvement course, but that’s it. People expect a dangerous driving charge for an incident with no actual contact between the vehicles in question. Good luck. Never happen.
vonhelmet wrote:
I’ll take that wager. I’ll happily bet some old inner tubes and bits of broken SKS mudguards on that.
For reference, here’s the reply I got from Avon & Somerset Police for video that I submitted last week (the driver was going the wrong way down a single lane one-way road – Cattle Market Road for those that know Bristol):
Please report this, that was
Please report this, that was an attempt to kill a cyclist. Would you be able to live with yourself if this driver goes on to kill someone else?!
ChrisB200SX wrote:
No one attempted to kill anyone. Hyperbole isn’t going to help anyone. Someone arguably tried to scare someone and to endanger them, but that’s totally different.
Bad pass from the lorry
Bad pass from the lorry initially, but there was some extra room to the left of the solid white line to use as an escape if needed – perhaps the driver mistakenly thought that was a cycle lane (looks a bit like some of the ones around here). A bad overtake for sure, but wouldn’t warrant more than a “wanker” and reporting to employers for me. I can see why the rider may have been a bit aggrieved though, but the riding afterwards down wrong side of the road on the outside, not exactly clever when the lorry is still moving.
For me, the worst part of the video was when the driver of the lorry slammed the brakes on at the traffic island, knowing there was oncoming traffic and giving the cyclist nowhere to go. He knew exactly what he was doing!! … I’d quite happily take the wrap for a “wanton and furious cycling” if it meant the driver got done for “dangerous driving” for that. Could quite easily have seen the cyclist have a head-on with an innocent motorist coming the other way. Come on, if you have a helmet cam and capture dangerous driving like this – regardless of the standard of your own cycling – what is the point in recording if you’re not going to report it ??
dee4life2005 wrote:
I completely agree with the sentiment above – when the lorry slammed on the brakes it was the only thing the cyclist could do. It’s callous and vindictive driving.
I think far more effective
I think far more effective would be an online petition to have this knuckle dragging menace to society, fired from his job. The bad press surrounding the subsequent national coverage such an action would attract might be more effective than any points or any education – even if it got that far. This guy is a professional driver and he contributes to the escalation while in charge of a 20 tonne death machine, to the point where he seems like he is bringing the rig to a stop just before the traffic island – no doubt to trap you into a stall and I have no doubt that he fully intended to climb down from the cab and continue the conversation with his fists (which I believe he was waving just before).
Fuck this cunt.
I likewise have many old
I likewise have many old inner tubes and two spare front sks guards, so I’ll see your wager and raise you a set of rusty rounded hex wrenches.
Game on. OP, get submitting.
vonhelmet wrote:
I’ll see your hex wrenches with a variety of mini pumps that don’t work very well. You got yourself a bet!
*shaking hands to seal the deal*
The haulage firm have now
The haulage firm have now confirmed they are not impressed and will be investigating. Hopefully they will be able to retrain the monkey holding the wheel to be a better driver. If Phil reads this, can I suggest dropping them a message and offer the 5 mins or so before the clip so they can see there’s no agrevating situation before what we see here.
StuInNorway wrote:
Due to the driver’s aggression and poor decision making, I’d recommend not giving him access to any more information than necessary. The police are far better placed to deal with this issue (and I’ve got a large side-bet on what the police will do).
StuInNorway wrote:
I seriously doubt they will be investigatiing anything. We know from the way our government acts that internal investigations are utterly useless. They’re probably hoping this will all blow over and things can carry on as normal.
Phil – send a copy or link of
Phil – send a copy or link of this to the haulage company.
No way would I employ a driver who did this; the liability for the company (when) if he kills somebody else would be unacceptable.
Exup wrote:
They probably don’t employ him as it is – he’s probably a self-employed contractor.
fwiw, the driver bears more
fwiw, the driver bears more than a passing resemblance to the halauge firm’s boss. check out @k2transport’s tweet of 25 May
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DeDGqJJXkAA5GUO.jpg
Appaling pass; put himself in
Appaling pass; put himself in similar danger in the moments afterwards.
But don’t put it on here….send it to the police!
In addition to what’s been
In addition to what’s been mentioned:
By effing and jeffing and reacting this way, the driver got EXACTLY what he really wanted:
A reaction…in spades.
It’s hard but be cooler next time.
Should have stayed calm
Should have stayed calm instead of trying to overtake a lorry
Or pull into the lane on the left a bit. Sure report it but he’s going to look like an idiot too.
I know this bit of road very
I know this bit of road very well as it is my daily commute. It is the Beeching Way bypass on the A22 just before Sackville School, and it’s a particularly dangerous piece of road for cycling on. Drivers seem to get angry because you are cycling in the “middle” of the road, however the solid white line indicates the end of the lane and is not sensible to ride in due to the potholes and flints on that side. For anyone riding on this bit of road, please be vigilant and I would suggest taking an alternative route (through the town) if you are not super confident.
Regardless of the cyclist’s
That was deliberately endangering another road user. Truly appalling.
The cyclist’s subsequent reaction, while unwise, is far less of an issue. I’d be having very, very strong words with the owner of that business as well as reporting it to the police.
Jesus, does anybody have the
Jesus, does anybody have the kittens?
Cameras are a double edged
Cameras are a double edged sword. As in this incident, a cyclist is put in a position of real potential for harm, but then feels unable to forward the footage to the Police because their own reaction to the situation is not with the coolest of heads. Then others, from the safety of their armchairs, point to some questionable roadcraft from the cyclist which only came about as a perfectly understandable response to being threatened by 40 tonnes of HGV being driven with no care or consideration and draw an equivalence between the two.
I recently submitted a close encounter for NMOTD that I did not report as I gave the wing mirror of the passing car a good whack. No swearing or rude gestures though. Lesson is that if you use a camera for evidential self protection, then stay squeaky clean yourself.
Mungecrundle wrote:
I’ve found that using a camera encourages a calm response. When I suffer a close pass, I don’t have as strong an anger response as I used to as I now have the ability to submit the footage to the police. This makes me feel less “helpless” on the bike, but also has the effect of making me ride (a little bit) more responsibly so that I can submit footage without self-incrimination.
hawkinspeter wrote:
I’ve found that using a camera encourages a calm response. When I suffer a close pass, I don’t have as strong an anger response as I used to as I now have the ability to submit the footage to the police. This makes me feel less “helpless” on the bike, but also has the effect of making me ride (a little bit) more responsibly so that I can submit footage without self-incrimination.— Mungecrundle
Odd. I find that, in the split second I become aware of a close pass, I completely forget about even having a camera and become fully pre-occupied with the fear of a wanker in a two-tonne vehicle coming within inches of seriously injuring or killing me…
hawkinspeter wrote:
I’ve found that using a camera encourages a calm response. When I suffer a close pass, I don’t have as strong an anger response as I used to as I now have the ability to submit the footage to the police. This makes me feel less “helpless” on the bike, but also has the effect of making me ride (a little bit) more responsibly so that I can submit footage without self-incrimination.— Mungecrundle
I also find this the case both on my bikes and when I’m driving as they are on bike and car.