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news
Near Miss of the Day 7: Cyclist almost crushed between lorry and wall
Today's submission to our Near Miss of the Day feature is from a few years back, but is described by the rider involved, who comes close to being crushed between a lorry and a wall, as "probably the worst incident I have endured in well over 100,000 miles on the roads over the years."
Nik Heathman of the Bike Shed in Crediton, Devon, told road.cc that he had been trying out a helmet camera when he captured the footage, shot in 2009.
Besides the sheer lack of space the driver gives the cyclist, who could have been seriously injured or killed, the lorry driver also breaks the law by crossing the solid white lines as he attempts to complete the manoeuvre, with oncoming traffic approaching.
The Highway Code says drivers "may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph or less" - although here, the cyclist's speed is greater and the road was not clear.
Drivers are also told to be especially careful around vulnerable road users including cyclists, who should be given the same space as when overtaking a car, which the driver could not have done here given those solid lines.
The Highway Code also says: "Give them [cyclists and motorcyclists] plenty of room, especially if you are driving a long vehicle or towing a trailer."
Niek told us: "I did report it to the Police via email who surprised me with a home visit and viewed the footage.
"I don't think they are allowed to click on links sent to them for fear of viruses etc."
He added: "They did 'have a word' with the company/driver responsible, but that was as far as it went."
Eight years on, many police forces are less reluctant to view online content, and some have developed specific tools to enable members of the public to upload footage for consideration.
Devon & Cornwall Police, meanwhile, have confirmed that they are undertaking a close pass operation similar to that launched by West Midlands Police last year.
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 ">info [at] road.ccinfo [at] road.cc "> or contact us via the road.cc Facebook page.
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.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 1 sec ago
To be fair drivers "expect" to deal with traffic in one direction, then another....
- ktache 29 min 26 sec ago
Is the answer crisps?
- Homebaker 32 min 56 sec ago
Oh you can't block roads, what if I need to drive my elderly aunt to the emergency hospital, and even though there are better routes, I want to go...
- chrisonabike 2 hours 2 sec ago
Tier scooters - When visiting Keynsham I found several apparently dumped (not all at once - could have been the same ones? )...
- mdavidford 2 hours 4 min ago
The answer to this is to have no friends.
- Backladder 3 hours 58 min ago
While original sash windows are nice they make it very hard to keep the house warm, we eventually went for upvc double glazed sash window...
- Andrewbanshee 5 hours 21 min ago
As you said the pedals will be hidden anyway. My shoes, 3 pairs of them, have reflective strips on the heel and my winter trousers do too on the...
- Steve K 5 hours 22 min ago
Other drivers only care about disabled people when it gives them a way to object to cycling infrastructure.
- mark1a 13 hours 25 min ago
I'll put you down as a no then.
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15 comments
Personally I find I am learning things by seeing the clips and reading the comments of how to avoid issues, it helps build experience. In this case it is more straight forward: take the lane to avoid dumb overtakes.
The BMW one today (day 8) perhaps day time running lights would have helped?
Some inconsiderate driving there by several drivers. I personally would of ridden virtually in the middle of the road on that section to keep vehicles behind until the road widened out.
Exactly as I said above, far too often see folk with all the gear and they're hogging the kerb, newbie riders do this too and yet wear helmet and hi-vis as if this will somehow prevent close passes.
On wiinding country lanes you absolutely must be central/primary position as this gives upcoming motorists a better chance to see you in advance than if you are hiding in the shadows or just out of sight on a left hander, there are some bends where I will be 3/4 of the way over to the right of the lane so that i am visible. it takes a bit to get your head round the riding 'in the middle of the road' but it works out far safer in the end run.
the sooner secondary and primary are explained in the Highway code to drivers and why people on bikes are allowed to be there (just as a motorist is) and statutory in driving instruction the better, they should have also removed the singling out on narrow/busy roads in the HC too in their changes. Singling out just encourages close passes the vast majority of the time and means there wasn't sufficient space to make a safe overtake in the first instance.
The A377 isn't dangerous. It has good visibility and generally low traffic speed all the way.
The lanes you speak of are lovely if you are going for a relaxing ride (in the summer anyway, they become mud infested swamp pools in the winter), but if you are commuting or needing to get somewhere fast, these lanes aren't really viable.
Personally I don't like the idea of riders being forced off any road, hence why I am commenting.
That said, if you are going on these roads you do have to expect the odd closer than ideal pass I guess...
Not blaming the victim but this is a terrible cycling road, here in the Forest we often see cyclists on the dangerous A337 when there are plenty of quiet country lanes that make good alternative routes. Did Devon Coast to coast recently on NCRs which wer mainly old railway lines and car free.
Not madly keen on you showing daily near misses as there is always the chance my wife will watch and then take a hacksaw to my bikes.
Plenty of room for that Smart car.
Shit driving, worse than shit but why oh why do people on bikes insist on riding too close to the kerb, this clearly just encourages selfish, impatient wankers to do shit like this. it shouldn't but it does.
Double whites are there for a reason, if you are going 10mph or less then if clear the vehicle behind can go across them but to give motorists no thought to have to slow down the result is basically what we see here.
me personally I'm absolutely in primary in this scenario, if not right of centre of the lane, to overtake me you then have to ensure the whole of the other lane is clear unless you're going to mow me down. I realise that happens but far less frequently than being hit/bad outcome due to a close pass overtake.
No Give Way markings for plonkers to get confsed with here. Just a shit driver.
I thought we were all road safety experts? You mean we're not?
What is a 'road safety expert' anyway? I can watch that clip and think, 'hmmm, I'd be riding a little further out/taking the lane', but that doesn't make me an expert.
Many years ago I was a part time motorcycle instructor. One of the aids I used when we stopped for lunch was a regular section from a motorcycle magazine of the time which looked at the details of a serious road traffic collision, analysing the proximate causes and different actions that the motorcyclist (be they technically in the right or in the wrong with respect to the Highway Code) could have taken to avoid or mitigate the incident.
This was not about victim blaming, but about learning from the situations that others found themselves in.
If there was any merit in publishing this close pass camera clickbait then it would be in getting a comment from a recognised road safety expert about how to avoid finding yourself in a similar situation. Otherwise if you are really into this victim mentality bullshit then why not just spend a few hours this afternoon cruising the myriad of road rage, close pass and accident footage available on YouTube?
All this feature is currently doing is dragging Road.CC down to a Daily Mail level of lazy, agenda serving, 3rd rate journalism. If something does happen today then by all means publish but regularising it as a daily story and having to fill it by dredging up ancient footage and presenting it as a 'look what happened today' sensationalism you do nothing but tell casual visitors to this site that they are likely to be killed and injured cycling on UK roads when the truth is very far from that.
This ^ Very much this.
I think Mungecrundle is onto something here.
I was thinking "why is he so far over to the left when there is s adouble white line?" and then "that van wasn't too scary"... and then the noise of that truck. Frickin' hell that must have been a tense few seconds, probably not for the driver though, eh.
I don't know... I'm wouldn't be surprised if he's had to book time off for the distress, crimestoppers should put a reward out for that cyclist.
You're cheating now.
Today's submission to our Near Miss of the Day feature is from a few years back
What next? Close pass anecdote of the day?