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Near Miss of the Day 619: Close pass followed by punishment pass gets driver a “stern talking to” from the police – and nothing more

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

Today’s video in our near miss of the day series features a close pass followed by a punishment pass, earning the driver a “stern talking to” from the police – and nothing more.

The road.cc reader who filmed it, BucksCycleCammer, said: “So, here we have a close pass into oncoming traffic with a safe gap a few seconds later. This, apparently, is because this road is a nightmare and you have to get past cyclists whenever you can otherwise you're stuck for ages.

“Ignoring the fact that the car behind him managed to pass without any problem, and I have only ever seen these nightmare traffic scenarios on that road (as driver or cyclist) when it has been exceptionally busy due to roadworks or accidents – both of which means there's no point overtaking a cyclist in the first place.

“He apparently then sees me gesticulating (I threw my hand up in exasperation) and stopped to ‘see what the matter was’.  Less charitable people would instead assume it was actually a brake check, given the way it was carried out.

“But instead of stopping I went past him (I actually thought he may have been turning left based on the standard of his driving).

“So he then decides to perform another close pass, this time winding his window down. In response to me telling him he’s on camera, he says that he shouted I should be on the cycle path if I don't like it.

“This is all according to Thames Valley Police who spoke to him today,” BucksCycleCammer continued. “Even though they agree he's an idiot, and his excuses are without merit, he still only warrants a ‘stern talking to’ but hopefully he is truly now ‘in no doubt’ as to what he did wrong.

“Just what warrants a FPN for driving ‘without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road’ is anyone's guess,” he 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

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TriTaxMan | 2 years ago
4 likes

I can't understand why the police did nothing other than a talking to the driver.  Had the first pass been the only incident then I can understand why they might have had a stern talking to.... educate rather than penalise.

BUT, as soon as the driver brake checked then performed a punishment pass that should automatically move it from the territory of it being a mistake/badly executed pass to being a deliberate act which at the very least should be a Careless Driving charge if not a Dangerous Driving charge.

I am waiting to read the news in Nottingham regarding a driver who seems to have deliberately knocked a Triathlete taking part in the Outlaw Triatholon off their bike on Sunday.

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grOg replied to TriTaxMan | 2 years ago
0 likes

Agreed.. I'd add a stupidity penalty for being in such a hurry to squeeze past, then slow down to do it all over again.. grade A moron.

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wtjs | 2 years ago
4 likes

The police are always claiming to have performed this completely worthless 'talking to', which really means they've done nothing at all. The phrase often used in Lancashire is 'I read the Riot Act to him'. It's all part of the multiple layers of non-penalty that they employ- Lancashire's latest dodge to cover up doing nothing is claiming to have 'sent educational material' to the driver, but no mention of any warning letter. This dodge is because of the, admittedly remote, possibility that there could be a check on the PC's actions and possible trouble if no proper recorded warning letter was genuinely sent.

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Muddy Ford | 2 years ago
1 like

It wouldn't suprise me to read one day that a cyclist has severely injured a driver in self defence after being assaulted with a car used as a deadly weapon, especially as the police seem to be turning a blind eye to these assaults.

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Seagull2 | 2 years ago
0 likes

and the 2nd overtake was into oncoming traffic too , wanker  

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Seagull2 | 2 years ago
1 like

here's hoping there's a second recorded incident soon ( without injury) involving this driver that results in a proper punishment from TVP  - judging by the behaviours exhibited i am quite optimistic for a result ! 

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chineseJohn | 2 years ago
2 likes

Thames Valley Police's first "offence" generally a warning that's it.

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sensei | 2 years ago
13 likes

No doubt that both the close pass and subsequent brake checking were absolutely intentional. The driver is both an arsehole and a pitiful coward. You can also add the fact that he's a clueless, bigoted moron into the mix with his pathetic justification. The police then have the opportunity to consider these blatant actions and the fact they are clearly a danger on the roads, yet fail miserably with their laughable inaction. All of which provides zero deterrent to the driver doing this again, with potentially serious or fatal consequences next time. I'd be taking this further until the appropriate action is finally taken.

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Awavey | 2 years ago
5 likes

are the roadworks to fix the state of that road ?

another one in the bank of close passes you, but is instantly focussing enough on your reaction, that he then wants to escalate, wasnt at all about being held up, his gripe is you werent riding on the "cycle path" and so everything stems from that.

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wycombewheeler replied to Awavey | 2 years ago
0 likes

Awavey wrote:

are the roadworks to fix the state of that road ?

another one in the bank of close passes you, but is instantly focussing enough on your reaction, that he then wants to escalate, wasnt at all about being held up, his gripe is you werent riding on the "cycle path" and so everything stems from that.

what do you mean? that's one of the better roads in bucks

also yes, in such a hurry that they can't wait for a safe gap to overtake, (they know the pass was terrible hence looking for reaction), but enough time to stop and brake check the rider.

Hence why I do not ride on the A4155 between marlow and bourne end if I can help it. 

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Richard D | 2 years ago
7 likes

Total wanker.  Unable to get past safely due to the oncoming traffic, decided that he didn't want to be held up for ten seconds so overtook anyway when it was not safe to do so.

THEN decided that he wasn't in so much of a rush after all when you shouted/gestured, so stopped - without a doubt to have some sort of confrontation.  Grrr.

Same thing happened to me a couple of weeks ago.   Driver (who got out with his mate) proceeded to tell me that all cyclists were arrogant idiots, and next time he'd just crash into me rather than leaving the eighteen inches he was prepared to allow me (also due to oncoming traffic), as he'd rather crash into a cyclist than crash into an oncoming car.

It's interactions like this that make me reaslise the utter futility of it all, in the absence of any proper enforcement of standards on our roads.

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Hirsute | 2 years ago
0 likes

Cycle path?

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Bucks Cycle Cammer replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
5 likes

It's a shared path, as suitable for doing 20+ mph on road tyres as you'd expect it to be.

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Rendel Harris | 2 years ago
6 likes

Ah well to be fair now, BucksCycleCammer was actually deliberately and with beastliness aforethought riding a bicycle on the public highway...

Seen it all now, the close pass is absolutely atrocious but I suppose could be regarded as a matter for debate by a myopic person watching it on a 10" screen from thirty yards away, but the brake check is clear reckless endangerment. Absolutely shocking.

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brooksby | 2 years ago
8 likes

Quote:

“Just what warrants a FPN for driving ‘without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road’ is anyone's guess,” he added.

Oh, it probably involves blood.

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eburtthebike replied to brooksby | 2 years ago
6 likes

brooksby wrote:

Quote:

“Just what warrants a FPN for driving ‘without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road’ is anyone's guess,” he added.

Oh, it probably involves blood.

Definitely.  If this force is prepared to let quite deliberate dangerous driving off with a stern talking to, the only way that they will prosecute anyone is if there is a collision involving bodily harm or death.  Of course, if they actually did prosecute incidents like this, they would be preventing the bodily harm or death, but if you're police, prevention isn't better than cure apparently.

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