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Near Miss of the Day 188: Truck driver in very close pass (warning - contains extreme swearing)

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

Today's video in our Near Miss of the Day series contains some colourful language - and when you see the footage, you'll understand why.

The footage was captured by road.cc reader Ally on Grouse Road in Horsham, West Sussex and shows the driver of a flatbed truck making the closest of close passes on him.

I was nearly hit yesterday on a quiet back road," he told us.

"I have not contacted the police but directly contacted the managing director of the company' whose name is on the truck.

"He has replied saying he will talk to the driver and make his team aware. Not sure contacting the police would be of any benefit?"

> 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 [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

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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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6 comments

Avatar
kevvjj | 6 years ago
2 likes

You have nothing to lose by going to the police. Why second guess their reaction?

https://www.nextbase.com/en-gb/national-dash-cam-safety-portal/

Just do it and you might save someone from srious injury in the future.

Avatar
Mark B | 6 years ago
1 like

Looks like he starts off wide enough, but moves back in before he is past - like so many of the videos shared here. I guess they think all cyclists are slow and don't bother to check.

Could be deliberate, but I think Hanlon's razor applies here; "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity"

 

Avatar
Kendalred | 6 years ago
1 like

Definitely contact plod, especially if you can make the licence plate visible (I couldn't make it out here). Even without it you have the company's logo on the van, so tey might be able to give them a warning or summat.

Avatar
dassie | 6 years ago
2 likes

Very close & dangerous.  Looked deliberate to me too, especially given the apparent room on the offside of truck as it has passed the cyclist.  I've never reported anything to the police, but would this.

Avatar
Daveyraveygravey | 6 years ago
4 likes

Definitely contact the police, you have nothing to lose.  They might not do anything, but they may go and interview the driver.   That, and the fact his boss has a word with him, might make him realise he isn't immune, he can't go around driving like that.

Avatar
a1white | 6 years ago
5 likes

Contact the police that was a malicuous pass. He actually moved closer on the pass.

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