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Near Miss of the Day 404 revisited: Hermes apologises for "unacceptable" close pass

"This is not how we want to portray Hermes as a company" says parcel delivery giant...

A road.cc reader who wrote to the CEO of the UK subsidiary of Germany-based delivery giant Hermes after one of its vehicles was featured in our Near Miss of the Day series earlier this week has been told that it is “unacceptable” for the driver concerned “to be so reckless and inconsiderate.”

The footage had been shot by road.cc reader Andy on Shipbourne Road, who said: "Hermes delivery may be classed as key workers but do they need to make attempts to increase the numbers visiting hospital?"

After seeing the footage, another road.cc reader – who besides being a cyclist and car driver, also drives a 7.5 tonne truck – wrote to Martijn De Lange, CEO of Hermes in the UK, to make him aware of the video and the poor driving shown.

His message was passed on to the team that deals with complaints made to the CEO, with the employee responding asking to “pass on my apologies to the cyclist who was involved in this incident.

 “It is unacceptable for one of our drivers to be so reckless and inconsiderate when out on the roads.”

They added that the incident would be referred to the management team of Hermes Parcel Shop, which operates the vehicle in question, to enable them to “identify who this driver is so we can begin an investigation into why the courier was driving so carelessly.”

Subsequently, the company confirmed that the complaint had been received by the management team, who “will be addressing this issue with the driver and the most appropriate action will be taken towards them.

“This is not how we want to portray Hermes as a company and we will make sure that this doesn't happen again. All further matters have now been dealt with internally,” the company added.

It's always good to hear about positive resolutions to the incidents we feature in the series, and we will pass on their apologies to the cyclist involved – while also remaining hopeful we won't see a submission featuring one of their vans again.

> 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

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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11 comments

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albertspangler | 3 years ago
1 like

Ironically, Hermes are the delivery partner for Chain Reaction Cycles

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lio | 3 years ago
0 likes

Was almost run over by a DPD driver (used by Sigma Sports?) in one of those electric golf carts, coming down the wrong side of quiet road this week.  He had noise cancelling headphone on and was looking at his phone instead of the road.

Saw the driver parked up in the next close and complained.  He told me, "Didn't see you mate.  It's not a phone it's my tracker and I'm working, yeah?"  so I'm guessing all delivery companies have carte blanch to drive how like.  10

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Hirsute replied to lio | 3 years ago
1 like

He obviously doesn't realise that the phone law was brought in specifically to address a wide spread issue and that he can be done under 'driving without due care and attention'

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grOg replied to lio | 3 years ago
2 likes

It's not just using phones while driving that's illegal,it's also interacting with an electronic visual display device that isn't a driver aid.

Devices like DVD players and tablets are considered visual display units. You must not drive with a visual display unit operating if any part of the screen is visible to you and likely to distract you or another driver. You can only use a visual display unit if the vehicle is legally parked, or off the road.

GPS devices and rear-view camera screens are visual displays that are considered to be a driver’s aid and can therefore be used when driving.

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hampsoc | 3 years ago
8 likes

I can help them out if they are wondering "why the courier was driving so carelessly."  It's because they pay per package delivered, not a salary.  This means that the drivers have to work like dogs to make it through each day.

HTH.

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Rich_cb replied to hampsoc | 3 years ago
2 likes

That doesn't excuse the driver from obeying the law though does it.

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Hirsute replied to Rich_cb | 3 years ago
1 like

I think hampsoc's comment was directed to 'management' for reflection.

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EK Spinner replied to hampsoc | 3 years ago
3 likes

totally correct, ever wondered why bad driving is characterised by "white van man". Selfishness is the root of many issues on the road, and no company should be permitted any kind of contract that insentiveses speed on the roads. That should include any kind of "pre 9am" "pay per load/parcel" "go home when your done" kind of thing.
But even as I type this I know there are major issues with the concept.

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David9694 replied to EK Spinner | 3 years ago
0 likes

I agree with your sentiments - it should be baked into health & safety that you don't create conditions in your business that mean your drivers end up cutting corners, or have an incentive (e.g. like you describe) to do so.
In answer to your point about issues, we all want our items delivered on the cheap, don't we?

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Hirsute replied to David9694 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Depends how quickly you need it. I find there are 3 types of delivery typically available at varying prices, so it's not always the cheapest that is required.

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Captain Badger | 3 years ago
4 likes

Yes yes, but is Hermes' training program fit for purpose, and does it have a vulnerable road user policy?

Can it tell us it's road collision stats - are they higher or lower than that of the average driver?

Epithets about " not what we represent" are actually meaningless if they don't include it in their induction and refresher training.

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