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Near Miss of the Day 300: Impatient overtake from ATS driver

Our regular series featuring close passes from around the country – today it's Swindon...

‘Welcome to Swindon’ reads the sign as an ATS driver moves to overtake despite the presence of an oncoming vehicle.

The incident took place on Tadpole Lane in North Wiltshire in April.

Gill described it as a “dangerously close pass”.

She said the overtake was, “alarming for me but must also have been very alarming for the oncoming vehicle.”

She added: “The van is an ATS van and I have contacted the company, whose website boasts a ROSPA gold certificate, twice, but they have never responded. (I have received automatic confirmation of receipt.) 

> What to do next if you’ve been involved in a road traffic collision

> 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.

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.

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7 comments

Avatar
Russell Orgazoid | 4 years ago
1 like

Should have sent it into the police as well as the employer.

I don't see the point of running the Fly12 if that isn't going to happen.

Avatar
Eton Rifle replied to Russell Orgazoid | 4 years ago
1 like
Plasterer's Radio wrote:

Should have sent it into the police as well as the employer.

I don't see the point of running the Fly12 if that isn't going to happen.

Agreed. Don't know what plod are like in her neck of the woods but A&S are pretty good. Three warning letters and three NIPS so far this year from my FLY12 footage.

Avatar
burtthebike | 4 years ago
4 likes

I'm sure ATS would get a lot more interested if you reported this dangerous driving to the police.

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Master Bean | 4 years ago
2 likes

Big up the Swindon massive.

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CXR94Di2 | 4 years ago
1 like

You gave him too much room to overtake.

An example, ive been riding 12" from centre of roads for a while now. I was approaching another cyclist who was 12" from the kerb. Two cars passed me completely on the other side of the road, but when passing the rider just in front, tried to stay to the left of the centre line.

Dont give a driver an opportunity to make a pass until safe to do so

Avatar
brooksby replied to CXR94Di2 | 4 years ago
9 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

You gave him too much room to overtake. An example, ive been riding 12" from centre of roads for a while now. I was approaching another cyclist who was 12" from the kerb. Two cars passed me completely on the other side of the road, but when passing the rider just in front, tried to stay to the left of the centre line. Dont give a driver an opportunity to make a pass until safe to do so

Fair point. An alternative might be for ATS to employ drivers who know how to, err, drive safely?

Avatar
srchar replied to CXR94Di2 | 4 years ago
0 likes

CXR94Di2 wrote:

You gave him too much room to overtake. An example, ive been riding 12" from centre of roads for a while now.

Just to confirm - your default position is a foot to the left of the centre line?

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