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news
Near Miss of the Day 832: Undertaking driver almost takes out cyclist's front wheel
The cyclist involved in today's video in our Near Miss of the Day Series was initially concerned about the bus driver moving across her path on a gyratory in Chichester, West Sussex – only to then have another motorist almost take out her front wheel as he undertook her then crossed her lane.
Tizzie, the road.cc reader who sent us the clip, said; “This happened in Chichester this morning ...
“I was concerned that the bus driver didn't check what was already on the gyratory (me!) as the roads met but I wasn't ready for what happened next!
“Unfortunately I couldn't get the registration number due to reflection from my front light so I will not be able to submit to the police.”
She added: “There are times I wish I had a better action camera …”
> 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.
Latest Comments
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an example of Kesgraves "best cycling infrastructure in the country" https://maps.app.goo.gl/GsCMbzDUTPdq59qS9
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31 comments
I've had a few videos where the cam has struggled to capture the plate properly. Something I try and do now is read the plate out loud to myself as the vehicle goes past. Gives me fighting chance of pulling it from the audio afterwards.
Doesn't always work of course; sometimes when your life has just been put at risk it takes great presence of mind to call out the offending driver's number plate instead of swearing at them instead!
Someone came on the forum a while back asking for advice on designing a cycling camera. One suggestion was to make it black and white so it could be made more sensitive and have a chance of picking up plates in low light and at night. Like ANPR presumably.
Did anything come of that?
It's getting to that time of year where I often don't get plates at dusk let alone at night.
As for the bus company wouldn't the right course of action to report it to the police and let them chase up the bus company.
I'm glad the cyclist was unharmed. That was close!
As for the bus company wouldn't the right course of action to report it to the police and let them chase up the bus company
Hilarious! Even with immaculate video of an obvious serious offence, almost all reports from cyclists to the police go straight in the bin- without the number there is an absolute determination to do nothing whatsoever. Many forces won't even let the online report process begin without the number. As for the night plate recognition, it can be done with any reasonable headlight about 50% of the time, with aiming of the beam.
As shown with other near misses and articles, the Police and the bus company won't bother contacting each other for help investigating a road crime unless it happens to be a 7yo almost knocked down on a Green man crossing.
"Adult and a cyclist! Not worth our time."
On the face of it, that's terrible dangerous driving, provided there are no mitigating circumstances. The driver should be held to account for their actions, so it's a shame the number plate is obscured. As the first poster noted, contact the bus company to see if they have CCTV.
OK, I'll bite: what "mitigating circumstances" can you suggest for such appalling driving?
I shouldn't really bite, but I will; what on earth could be a mitigating circumstance for that driving?
If someone's planted a bomb in your car that will explode if your speed goes below 30mph?
"Pop quiz..."
Okay, which Beirut-born actor is known for appearing in Speed?
John Wick
Close enough
I think this must be the record in close passes posted here in distance measured from the wheel. There are even wing mirror hits posted here with bigger clearances, but this is super close due to the inclination towards the center of the radius
Watching back, you are right. Truly shocking. Can only think it was premeditated and they actually meant to either hit the cyclist or at least "teach them a lesson". I think I would contact the bus company to see if they have CCTV from the back of the bus of the plate.
I was watching it thinking that bus isn't that close when suddenly the van flashed past. That was alarming. I hope the vehicle can be traced as that driver shouldn't be on the road.
WTAF did the driver of that van think they were doing???
They were undertaking, at speed, and far closer than they ever should have been (made worse by their undertaking, so the cyclist - and us - would never expect it to be there).
Is it not a one-way street? You are allowed to pass on either side in a two-lane one-way street. So the "undertake" would not be the issue - the close pass however, appalling.
You're right: I hadn't noticed that due to all the road shine. Left lane for left only; right lane for straight ahead and right.
And I think "appalling" is being pretty generous...
It's not illegal to undertake on any road, it's just whether the manoeuvre would amount to careless/dangerous driving. There's not really any special approval on a one-way street to do it.
This road is basically a large roundabout and most traffic would take the route the cyclist takes - crossing into the left-turn lane. I can only think the driver just didn't see the rider at all.
Well, 163 (using the road, overtaking) does say;
"You should only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so"
Then under rule 143 for one-way streets it reminds you to take care that vehicles could be passing on either side.
Exactly, there's no special rule. It just reminds drivers that traffic is more likely to be undertaking on a one way street.
I'm not excusing the driving in any way, but possibly the rider was hidden behind the A pillar of the van?
When I'm riding at night under street lights, I switch my front to strobe or flashing, you get a "surround" effect of the light bouncing off anything reflective, it isn't just a light in front of you on the ground. Bike lights aren't that widespread and with wet roads, perhaps the rider's light got lost in the other light sources and reflections?
When I am out in the countryside I have to have it on constant, the flashing drives me mad. Might be a case of needing two lights, one flashing and one constant.
The driver really needs to take more care though.
Yes, there are a lot of lights there, I can imagine a driver who is not paying proper attention could fail to see the cyclist.
I dont think it's an a pillar thing, I'd not be surprised to find that van was actually following behind the cyclist at the beginning and it's almost a punishment pass to get ahead of them which is why it's so close as theyd have miscalculated their lines.
Holy crap that was terrifyingly close...!
I wonder if a flashing front light would give some frames with the plate correctly exposed.
I wave my hand in front of my light a couple of times if I'm quick enough after a close pass and that is often enough to get a clear frame or two with the number plate easily readable.
depends, the way the auto exposure on some cameras works the flashing light just confuses it because it simply cant adapt quick enough and you still dont get a clean plate.
I think the conditions and the pass here would have challenged even the best cameras really, its a quick,fast pass, its dark with low light,the van is also dark, but lots of reflections and other light sources, and the reg is the furthest point away from you.
Mounting the camera and the light together on the same axis, such that retroreflected light (eg number plates) returns straight into the lens would also be a problem. Maybe try separating the two as far as possible.
Combined camera/light units such should be able to synchronise a single frame light black-out every second.
Bus camera will have that driver's registration, definitely.
Submit a subject access data request for the footage to the bus company - ASAP as they tend to overwrite the footage fairly quickly, sometimes in a matter of days. Specify the place & time.
This worked for me in London and secured a prosecution for a similar incident. They are obliged to share the footage for the subject access request because you are in it and data protection law says they can't withhold it from you.
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