Near Miss of the Day 18: Cyclist buys GoPro for commute – and on first day films very close pass by van driver

As you’ll know, the main reason many cyclists buy cameras to mount on their helmet or bike is to capture evidence of poor driving.

That’s exactly what road.cc reader Sean Bickerdike did on the very first day he used his GoPro camera on his commute last month as a van driver passed him with minimal space to spare.

It happened on Ballam Road, Lytham at around 8.30am on 26 June and Sean reported it to Lancashire Police through the road traffic incidents section of their website.

“The next day I was invited in to review it with them, which I was happy to do,” he told us.

“My main concern was that the driver be aware of the danger and consequences of his action, and I was happy that the PC said he'd call and at least at least give an admonishment depending on the response.

“He did this and called me to say that the driver remembered the incident and was embarrassed and apologetic.”

Sean added: “I considered this as a result of sorts, as I know through other anecdotal evidence that other forces are not quite as interested.”

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 contact us via the road.cc Facebook page.