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news
Near Miss of the Day 539: Close pass ... at 60mph ... !
Even at 20mph, a close pass is an unnerving experience for any cyclist … but when the driver is doing 60mph, it takes it to a whole new level, which is what we have in today’s video in our Near Miss of the Day series, sent in by road.cc reader Joel.
“Today's special is a dual carriageway,” he told us. “Not one that I meant to be on but I'd set the route on Google Maps and left in a hurry ... and when I found myself with 10 minutes on the dual carriageway it was empty enough that it didn't seem too problematic,” Joel said.
“However a near empty road was clearly more than one person could cope with, as (s)he decides to pull in from the clear right hand lane after passing the lorry to give me a special close up of their 60mph pass.
“It's difficult to conceive what makes a person take deliberate action like this in order to pointlessly pass more dangerously – for absolutely no gain to themselves.”
“Running back through the footage, I was passed by 143 vehicles on the dual carriageway section of the ride, the vast majority of whom passed very safely, moving entirely into the outside lane to do so.
“The longest time any vehicle was waiting behind me to pass was 7 seconds, and that was someone merging in behind me from a slip road.
“Our driver earned themselves a report to Warwickshire Police,” Joel added. “I will never know what the outcome is however, as they don't even acknowledge receipt of such reports.”
If you follow our Near Miss of the Day series, you’ll probably be aware that we have a number of regular contributors, and this isn’t the first one we’ve shown that has been submitted by Joel.
Indeed, the PassPixi video we featured yesterday was one of his, although he told us afterwards that now that drivers are aware that he is filming, he hopefully won’t have occasion to send in a near miss video again. Fingers crossed.
> 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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7 October was just a bit of harmless fun until the "msm" ramped it up.
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25 comments
I'm 62. I take a pragmatic approach to riding along dual carriageways. I tell myself that so long as I hold a steady line, although some traffic my pass uncomfortably close, they are unlikely to actually hit me. I ride at a distance from the edge of the road that will allow me to pass drain covers without deviating. I regularly look over my shoulder to see what's coming up on me so the whoosh of a vehicle passing me doesn't make me jump.
I will never know what the outcome is however, as they don't even acknowledge receipt of such reports
I can tell you what the outcome was: immediately filed straight in the bin like Lancashire. That's why I moved to red light offences- they still file them in the bin, and then you have to start the long laborious complaints procedure. Lancashire lies routinely, but you have to keep going. A new dodge is that they initially won't tell you who filed it in the bin and ask you to waste months making FoI requests which you refuse to do as it's obviously just obstructing a complaint, then they claim that the 'log wasn't signed so they don't know who it was'. Quiz question: what is your opinion of a force which encourages officers to remain anonymous? We'll see what the PCC (yes, I know- it's just another level of useless bureacracy which is really another police department) answers!
We should do something about this!
I know that similar has been done before, but an article on uploading footage and making complaints about bad driving to the police.
Another on how to chase up these complaints.
And another about how to make complaints about the police.
Oh, also one about the alternatives to complaining to the police; social media, local council, transport managers, Traffic Commissioners etc.
We should do something about this!
Unfortunately, the 'something' involves persuading cyclists to pursue matters to the bitter end against the determinedly antagonistic Dark Side of the Police Forces. They'll be happy to keep telling people 'we've definitely done something but we're too busy to tell you what it was' (=some joke letter which is not recorded, at best), or WMP telling people (after they have ignored indisputable video of someone driving along the wrong side of the main road and hitting a cyclist) 'it's nothing to do with us, it's that un-named central office', or Essex Police inventing a stupid criterion for a significantly close pass: that the cyclist has to swerve or brake after someone charges past at 50 mph, etc. etc down to Lancashire, the Evil Empire I know most about, inventing 'it was only a momentary loss of concentration' or 'we need confirmatory video from the offending vehicle' or (their favourite) just ignoring evidence and filing straight in the bin. The Police Forces are the most significant enemy of cyclists
There must be a tidal wave of "look what this idiot did" footage being uploaded to police forces. There doesn't seem to be a clear strategy on what do to do with it.
and whilst I have every sympathy with the cyclists at the sharp end, I would not welcome a solution that opened the doors to concerned citizens uploading spycam footage of their neighbours' infractions.
it depends on whether the spycam is recording public space (as opposed to private residences) and whether the infractions pose a danger to the public.
Well, yes, but the problem is of course it won't automagically be limited to genuine folk filming unequivocal dangers to the public. We'll end up in a world where people are filming you all the time and posting it to the police and social media for comment and reaction. Some of it will be clearcut cases, but dragged along with that will be all the rest of the laundry. I don't want to live like that.
At least with vehicles there is a degree of anonymity. The police can track down the person, with effort. But once it's your face all over the interwebs, possibly with geolocation in the exif, it becomes much more oppressive.
I think that boat has already set sail
There must be a tidal wave of "look what this idiot did" footage being uploaded to police forces. There doesn't seem to be a clear strategy on what do to do with it
There is in Lancashire: Bin It! This is from the letter I received from Lancashire Professional Standards Department after I found they had immediately binned my report on MF09 HYK going through traffic light 1.9seconds after it turned red:
Having reviewed the below, and your log LC-20200721-0654 I can confirm to you that this report was flagged for the attention of the Neighbourhood Policing Team to review and it had been left to them to determine if any follow up actions were required, on this occasion it does appear that a decision has been made to take no action, for which I do apologise. Unfortunately I am unable to determine which officer has made this decision as this is not documented on the log.
Oh, yes! Lancashire Constabulary has no means of determining who made the 'No Further Action' decision on the offence. We're all keen to believe that! Next, they won't have any record of which Neighbourhood Policing Team it was.
Further to this, I have been advised that there are plans in place for Lancashire Constabulary for a department to be set up within the Central Process Unit to receive data from members of the public in respect of reports such as this, and whilst these are in the early stages, plans are progressing to have the force accepting of this information so that the appropriate evidence can be received, reviewed and progressed as swiftly and effectively as possible with new technology capable of accepting such large and detailed files, and this process is through members of the public, such as yourself, which has encouraged the force to introduce these measures and you have assisted in expediting this process, for this we do thank you for your continued input.
Soft soap or what? There have been 'plans' to enable LC to receive large video files for years that I know about, and it hasn't happened yet- there has been so much foot-dragging on that the officers concerned must have legs worn away to the knees. This how the police work against the people they really hate: people, especially cyclists, who annoy them by reporting offences.
Is it just me that think they may have been on the phone - I'm convinced the driver hasn't seen you as they don't deviate at all after moving in front of the lorry!
I thought similar 😐
That was a punishment pass. No excuse.
For your benefit, you really need to take control of the lane and ride down the centre line. This will make drivers straddle the white line, and by some sort of mental telepathy, they usually continue to move fully over the line
For when vehicle's see you central, but cant move out due to another vehicle, there is no room for then to squeeze by. They are forced to slow and pass properly.
Easier said than done. I'm damn sure I don't have the guts to hold primary on a dual carriageway.
I think on balance the chances of a near miss/death would be increased if you do so. In secondary you are looking at wing mirror clip which would probably break something but would likely be survivable. In primary instant death if somebody isnt paying attention at 60 mph.
Thing is... in secondary - the driver has to think "can I squeeze through" and then "is it safe to pass move out and pass". Thinking time is limited, especially at 70mph - they need to be thinking "I need to slow down or move out to pass" from the start. Riding in primary is the only way you'll get most drivers to prioritise passing safely from the start.
Also why does the OP think the motorist was travelling at 60 mph. Looks like a national speed limit dual carriageway in the video (obviously it's a short clip).
Not my personal experience, Ive had less issues by deciding to ride primary all the time. Much less close passes.
Personally I would not volunteer to go on a dual carriageway if there was an option to go around. But if I were to be found on one, I will ride primary position
There are no valid excuses for a close pass ever, but unlike many others this one also has a free lane available without any oncoming traffic to consider, so it is more than likely this was intentional. It should be treated with the seriousness required to deter the offender from repeating this behaviour again. We all know the likelihood of this being dealt with seriously is probably quite low, but hopefully I'm wrong. Each and every time a driver faces little to no punishment it reinforces their behaviour and gives them no reason not to do it again. A different solution must be found as the current system is flawed in every respect. And whilst police resources are stretched, forces must recognise their critical role in making the roads safer for everyone.
Malicious? Incompetent? Fun? It would really be useful to know what actually goes through these drivers' minds when they do something quite so incredibly stupid.
Having reported that, I would be very reluctant to accept that the police can't keep you informed, and it seems that most forces will do so, at least informing people of the outcome; justice must be seen to be done as well as being done. I'd be taking this straight to the Warwickshire Police and Crime Commissioner and my MP, pointing out that I was being discriminated against.
I would bet on it being incompetent as nothing goes through these inconsiderate muppets minds 😯
I'd agree, it looks exactly like an overtake but with no consideration to the cyclist, it's one of those but we didn't collide so what's the problem moves
This!
Please try to take it to the next steps. If nothing else you'll find out
what to do next time.
Get a helmet mirror too so you can see vehicles coming from behind.
Is this on the A45? I'm never a fan of having to cycle along there if so, seems to be populated by many people in cars who are in too much of a rush.
I try and avoid dual carriageways like the plague, full stop. I think the average driver has no idea that passing a cyclist within a few feet at 60, 70, 80mph is a bad thing to do (some do, but then there are always shits). Not victim blaming, just highlighting that dual carriageways seem to be an accident waiting to happen. I think most drivers lose all perspective of relative speed/distances and travelling at 70mph approaching a cyclist the vast majority seem to leave it too late to think about overtaking and are then faced with having a car/vehicle on the right hand lane...and no time to stop safely so the obvious option (for most) is to just skim past, what could the harm possible be!
absolutely agree about dual carriageways. trying to get to Brent Cross in north London a route sent me up the A41. I took to the pavement till i could get off.
> I try and avoid dual carriageways like the plague, full stop.
Why does the number or carriageways make a difference. Dual carriageways vary greatly. Some have a single lane for each carriageway, some might have 3 or 4 or 5. Some are national speed limit, others are 20mph. The only things they have in common is that those travelling on opposite directions do so on separate carriageways.