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Near Miss of the Day 709: Driver advised to read Highway Code...but no further action for traffic island close pass

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

No further action for this driver's dangerous close pass approaching a traffic island, just a stern warning to refresh themselves on the Highway Code.

So what does the newly-revised Highway Code say about overtaking cyclists? 

As per Rule 163...

Give motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.

As a guide: − leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds.

You should wait behind the motorcyclist, cyclist, horse rider, horse drawn vehicle or pedestrian and not overtake if it is unsafe or not possible to meet these clearances.

road.cc reader John was riding in primary position, as advised by the Highway Code when "at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you".

This footage came from last summer, before the changes were outlined, but three weeks after submitting the footage, John was told the driver had been "very apologetic" and "would be investing in a copy of the Highway Code".

"For an incident like this, education is the best result," John concluded.

> 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

Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.

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