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Near Miss of the Day 518: Close pass and left hook

Our regular series featuring close passes from around the country - today it's South Yorkshire...

It's an ultra-short clip in today's Near Miss of the Day video, coming in at just 12 seconds, but it manages to pack in two pieces of shockingly poor driving from one driver who first makes a very close pass on a cyclist then immediately turns left across him into a supermarket car park.

John, the road.cc reader who sent in the video, told us: "A great start to the new year, full of optimism for the future I thought that I would take advantage of a crisp winter afternoon and take my new bike for a spin around Doncaster, obviously the driver is desperate to top up their festive spirit as they not only give me a close pass but then follow it up with a left hook into the supermarket, amazingly I managed not to swear. To their credit, the use of the indicator was a great help. 

"The vehicle MA05 MUE is currently registered as SORN [ie the registered keeper has filed a Statutory Off Road Notification - Ed] so not only is the driver inconsiderate but also using the vehicle illegally. All details have been passed to South Yorkshire Police, let’s see if they are a bit more proactive than the last time," John added.

> 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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16 comments

Avatar
wtjs | 3 years ago
4 likes

I really think it is time that people seriously consider not replying to the idiot, because it clutters up the pages. I have protected myself to some extent by declining to read anything by, or replying to, the idiot- clearly I have made an exception in this case, in the public interest. I seem to recall the other idiot, or it may have been an alias of the idiot, just disappeared.

Avatar
Bungle_52 | 3 years ago
5 likes

Highway code rule

167. DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other
road users. For example
● approaching or at a road junction on either side of the road
● where the road narrows
● when approaching a school crossing patrol
● between the kerb and a bus or tram when it is at a stop
● where traffic is queuing at junctions or road works
* ● when you would force another road user to swerve or slow
down
● at a level crossing
● when a road user is indicating right, even if you believe the
signal should have been cancelled. Do not take a risk; wait
for the signal to be cancelled
*● stay behind if you are following a cyclist approaching a
roundabout or junction, and you intend to turn left
● when a tram is standing at a kerbside tram stop and there is
no clearly marked passing lane for other traffic.

Pretty sure both the starred rules have been contravined.

 

Avatar
Velophaart_95 replied to Bungle_52 | 3 years ago
4 likes

Whilst that is all correct - I reckon 9/10 people haven't looked The Highway Code since they passed their test. As a result, most people haven't got a clue what they should/ shouldn't do.

 

I wish it wasn't like this, mind you.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to Velophaart_95 | 3 years ago
2 likes

Totally agree and will hold my hands up on that before cycling.

I'm now always advocating 10 year driving licenses and tests mandatory to get another one. My dad was licensed in the 1940's and could drive untll he died two years ago. I passed my test before the changes with longer practical and extra Theory tests AND well before the Hazard perception ones came in. When I was helping the Mrs to pass in the mid 2000's I "failed" the practice ones as i was clicking too many times as seeing lots of things I would consider potentially hazardous. It was teaching her when I probably last read the HC prior to a few years ago.

 

Avatar
Bungle_52 replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
4 likes

I passed my test well before the theory test but I had to attend a speed awareness course once, they showed a hazard perception video. I was looking at the partially concealed side entrance, parked cars, oncoming vehicles, pedestrians close to the edge of the pavement etc. Everyone else was looking at the speed camera which they considered the main hazard and which I had completely missed. I then realised where I had been going wrong all these years.

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Hirsute replied to Bungle_52 | 3 years ago
1 like

Brilliant !

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wtjs | 3 years ago
5 likes

I keep hoping that someone will provide evidence that the police have really done something about a traffic offence- not, of course, 'we've had a word with the driver', which means they did nothing at all. This is the one where Lancashire, despite the video and the extracted stills, decided they had to have confirmatory video from the offending driver. That was the official response to my complaint made when nothing happened- they said, and normal people will be hard put to believe this, that since the diver had not provided any video of his own, they 'couldn't do anything, not even send a warning letter'. There are no depths not plumbed by the police!

Avatar
wtjs | 3 years ago
2 likes

 All details have been passed to South Yorkshire Police, let’s see if they are a bit more proactive than the last time

The hope is almost certainly stillborn: once a force has gone downhill sufficiently to routinely ignore indisputable road traffic offences they're unlikely to recover on their own. I know from my own experience with Lancashire that almost nothing rouses them from the state of institutional apathy- red light crashing, handheld mobile phone use, crossing double white lines in a manifestly dangerous position etc. etc. The officers have become so accustomed to regarding any well documented online report of a traffic offence as an annoyance that they can get away with ignoring by simply claiming they're very busy. I think they will only be affected by a serious accident resulting from such an offence.

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alchemilla | 3 years ago
0 likes

If he was just pulling into a supermarket car park, why not follow him and ask him about that manoeuvre?

Avatar
Hirsute replied to alchemilla | 3 years ago
8 likes

Yeah, that would end well.

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EK Spinner replied to alchemilla | 3 years ago
3 likes

reference the comment from Biggus-Dickkus below

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hawkinspeter replied to alchemilla | 3 years ago
2 likes

alchemilla wrote:

If he was just pulling into a supermarket car park, why not follow him and ask him about that manoeuvre?

Not recommended - that would most likely lead to escalating the situation.

If you've got a camera, let the video do the talking and the police do the questioning.

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to alchemilla | 3 years ago
1 like

alchemilla wrote:

If he was just pulling into a supermarket car park, why not follow him and ask him about that manoeuvre?

In some cases, discretion is the better part of valour.....

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Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

He couldn't see you in the gloom.

There was no reasonable propect for the driver to see you - NFA.

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DonnyJohnny replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
2 likes

Just to update you, hi-viz helmet, top and overshoes, two lights on the seat post.
I'm an old bloke who wishes this sort of kit was around 40 years ago because as all road users have become less tolerant of each other and I strongly believe that we all should do as much as we can to be seen by each other.
All black kit looks great in the cafe mid ride but I'd rather get there in one piece Hashbrown just saying.

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Hirsute replied to DonnyJohnny | 3 years ago
3 likes

That is pretty much what I expected you had on.
I'm just a bit jaundiced by the lack of police action in many cases, not just involving cyclists and the bullshit excuses from drivers.

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