Saturday morning was glorious for bike riding: blue skies, barely a cloud in the sky, hot (but not too hot), a gentle breeze…that is of course, unless you were riding along happily when a driving instructor (no, really) overtook a learner driver at a zebra crossing, narrowly returning to the right side of the road in time.
That is exactly what happened to road.cc reader Rendel on Dulwich Road in Brixton, south London, leaving him to ask, “Ever wondered why there are so many bad drivers?”
Ever wondered why there are so many bad drivers? Maybe they were taught by Driveway School of Motoring, Herne Hill. Here the instructor overtakes a learner driver at high speed over a zebra crossing into the face of oncoming cyclists. Unbelievable. pic.twitter.com/I6xiNRSZXr
— Rendel Harris (@Rendel_Harris) May 14, 2022
“Here the instructor overtakes a learner driver at high speed over a zebra crossing into the face of oncoming cyclists. Unbelievable.”
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47 thoughts on “Near Miss of the Day 770: “Unbelievable” driving instructor overtakes learner towards oncoming cyclist”
Haven’t worked out if you can
Haven’t worked out if you can use this as a member of public, or only if you’re a driving instructor’s student, but… https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor
quiff wrote:
Thanks (and HoarseMann for the same tip) but it does look as if that’s only if you’re unhappy about your instructor as a student. As I said below, I’ve offered my video and services as a witness to the innocent party if they want to complain. I did post the clip on Driveway’s Facebook page – seemingly their only social media – asking for comment but oddly they instantly deleted it and blocked me…
Perhaps if enough of us visit
Perhaps if enough of us visit and comment they might feel it warrants a response? ?♀️
Rendel Harris wrote:
Whilst that appears to be its main function, if they ignored a 3rd party report and the driver was later involved in a collision, it wouldn’t look good.
It’s unlikely this is an isolated incident, you don’t go from driving like a saint to overtaking so recklessly without some practise. So I would be inclined to pass the details on.
Hope Rendel reports that.
Hope Rendel reports that. Absolute shocker from driving instructor. Speeding. overtake on a roundabout.Dangerous overtake into an oncoming cyclist. Shouldn’t be on the road, let alone instructing people.
Also it is Herne Hill (I recognise the road as I used to live there), not Brixton as you state in the article (it even says Herne Hill in the tweet).
a1white wrote:
Ah, but if you call it Brixton you can add £30k to the price of any bedsits you’re trying to sell.
I always thought that end of
I always thought that end of Dulwich Rd was Brixton. Anyone old enough to remember Munday’s of Brixton, no more than 50m from the end of that video.
BTW shocking driving by anyone’s standards but from a driving intrusctor…
I didn’t report only because
I didn’t report only because from my experience the Met won’t action unless it was the complainant put in danger, which I wasn’t really. I’ve messaged RED driving school (the innocent learner who was overtaken) to say if they want to make a complaint they’re welcome to use my video and I’m happy to be cited as a witness.
You’re right it is Herne Hill but that’s my fault not Road.cc’s, I said Brixton in my additional tweet – technically Brixton starts fifty yards up the road by the Hootenany pub (sp?) which I’m sure you’d remember. That part of Herne Hill’s a bit flexible in terms of nomenclature, young ‘uns who live there tend to claim it’s Brixton to look edgy, people who want to sell their houses call it Herne Hill!
I wonder if its worth looking
I wonder if its worth looking up whether Driveway is a one man band or not. If not, might be worth having another go at contacting them. Otherwise, gosh wouldn’t it be absolutely awful if the local paper (or the Standard?) was sent a copy of the footage…
Ah yes! sorry, been a few
Ah yes! sorry, been a few years since I was on the road. You are correct Brixton is very close technically. It certainly has impreoved around that area for cycling, since I was there at least. The Railton LTN area looks fantastic.
You can complain about the
You can complain about the driving standards of an instructor, directly with the DVLA.
https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-a-driving-instructor
‘Speaking as a professional
Here’s your ‘speaking as a professional driver, ramble ramble, anti-cycling crap’
You literally couldn’t make
You literally couldn’t make it up 🙁
An instructor should know
An instructor should know better. Is that the attitude they take with pupils? No wonder cyclists are regular victims.
Disgraceful.
Ashley Neal did a video on
Ashley Neal did a video on poor standards among driving instructors around Liverpool recently https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZurmspspUSQ
I thought the drivers who endanger us every day were selfish idiots but it seems they are just driving how they were taught to!
He’s asked me on Twitter for
He’s asked me on Twitter for the video so he can do a feature on it; I’ve sent it to him, look forward to seeing his take.
That’ll be interesting to see
That’ll be interesting to see. Not every cyclist agrees with his views on cycling but if every driver followed his advice we’d all be a lot safer.
That’s appalling driving. For
That’s appalling driving. For a driving instructor to make that overtake is a real low. I hope that footage has been posted to the Met Police.
As a resident, I know Brixton extremely well. Dulwich Rd has always been pretty unsafe as the surface wears fast (the council usually gets cheap mill and fill repairs that only last a couple of years before it needs doing again) and it’s narrow, with lots of side entrances. Drivers get frustrated with the buses stopping too as they generally can’t overtake them. At peak periods it’s awful. What’s interesting here was that there didn’t seem to be much traffic, so the overtake suggests real lack of care on the part of the driver.
After a few close calls, I avoided cycling along there for a long time (it’s not even much fun on my motorbike). I was very pleased when the speed limit was reduced to 20mph a while back. As Railton Rd runs parallel and is an LTN, I generally cycle along there instead.
As I said below, the only
As I said below, the only reason I did not submit it to the police is because I know from experience they will not accept a complaint except from a person directly affected by the bad driving, in this instance that would be the learner driver. I have contacted RED driving school to show them the footage and indicated I would be happy to act as a witness if their instructor or pupil wishes to report it.
Railton Road is very definitely a nicer option, unfortunately as we are usually coming from East Dulwich/Peckham and heading towards Clapham Railton would take us quite a long way north of the shortest route. It’s certainly not a nice road to ride along, you’re right, especially with people pulling out of the sideroads with very little care, always glad when that section’s over.
Weird they don’t take that
Weird they don’t take that example in murders isn’t it. Only the murderee can ask for footage of CCTV as anyone else is not a victim of said murderer.
AlsoSomniloquism wrote:
Indeed – the same goes for the supposed prohibition on sharing videos on social media “in order to avoid prejudicing any trial.” Very often when a major crime has been committed the police will share video evidence on national media when appealing for witnesses, but apparently a cyclist with a couple of hundred followers on Twitter sharing a video could have a decisive influence on whichever magistrate ends up presiding over the case.
I know from experience they
I know from experience they will not accept a complaint except from a person directly affected by the bad driving
This is just one of the almost innumerable excuses for doing nothing dreamed up by Bad Cops across the country (with honourable exceptions). When they refuse to do anything about ML12 EJU (clue, it’s not the absence of VED, which Lancashire Constabulary also refuses ‘to get involved with’) they’re not likely to bother about the offence in this topic
As others has said, It is up
As others has said, It is up to you, but I still think you have a strong case to report. You were directly affected as you had to swerve and brake to avoid the car. The Met might well act on this (especially taking into account his speed and overtake on a Zebra).
Oh dear that is rather
Oh dear that is rather dissapointing to see an ‘instrucutor’ driving in that manner. Does rather make you wonder what sort of drivers they will produce.
I do know that you are not allowed to overtake on the approach to a zebra crossing, and must never overtake a car that is waiting for someone to cross, but I’m not quite sure if that rule applies to vehicles AFTER the crossing. Either way this video demonstrates very poor regard for other users from the instructor.
It is difficult to see on the
It is difficult to see on the video but my observation at the time was that he began pulling out before the zebra, was alongside as they went over the crossing, and then started pulling back in just as he exited the far zigzags. It would make sense for it to be against the law to overtake anywhere within the zigzag zone although like you I do not know whether that is actually the case – but as I say, from what I saw he started his overtake before the crossing when the other learner car was “the moving vehicle nearest the crossing” which “MUST NOT” be overtaken (HC 191).
My understanding was the zig
My understanding was the zig zag lines indicate where the overtaking restriction applies, so that instructor was caught bang to rights imo. Plus it’s a raised crossing traffic calming set up, again dont believe you are allowed to overtake on those.
Awavey wrote:
That’s what I would imagine but I can’t actually find anything in the highway code about it, it only refers to overtaking before the crossing. Maybe they thought a stunt like this was so stupid it should go without saying you shouldn’t do it!
You’re not allowed to park
You’re not allowed to park within the zigzags, but I don’t think they have any special relevance as regards overtaking. The overtaking rules are about whether the other vehicle is nearest the crossing, or is stopped to allow people to cross. Though, to be honest, you’d be hard pushed to overtake someone in the zigzag area if it wasn’t in one of those situations anyway.
[edit] I stand corrected – the zigzags mark the limit of the parking and overtaking restrictions.
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/regulation/28/made
I think will help with what
I think will help with what is a crossing but have only skimmed it (section 15)
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/851465/dft-traffic-signs-manual-chapter-6.pdf
Hi Rendel. Went deeper than
Hi Rendel. Went deeper than the HC and into the actual HA. You are prohibited from overtaking a motor vehicle within the controlled area of a zebra crossing. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1997/2400/regulation/24/made
The controlled area is between the zig zags while the zebra part is the limits of the crossing. You cannot stop on the actual limits but you can stop within the controlled area to allow someone to cross or if traffic is sufficiently heavy that you have no choice.
Also while it is a Do Not the instructor has forced you to brake (rule 167) so deserving of a rap across the knuckles at the very least from plod.
I would send the details to
I would send the details to both the DVSA and the police.
The police should take a much harder line in relation to the offences committed by the driving instructor, because it is their profession. If this was an individual commiting a breach of the law and it related directly to their profession they would generally be held to a much higher standard than Joe public.
A typical example would be an accountant/tax adviser who prepares an incorrect tax return for themselves would in general be subjected to the upper range of penalties in relation to any offence because they wouldn’t be able to argue that the mistake they made was careless because they advise people on that same thing.
My son had some driving
My son had some driving lessons by an instructor who was so anti everything on the road if it wasn’t a car. Needless to say we didn’t continue with this instructor. I taught him to test standard -he passed and has a respect for vulnerable road users
So sorry that I can only like
So sorry that I can only like this once.
A nice clear analysis from
A nice clear analysis from Ashley Neal here, a welcome breath of sanity after reading the comments on road.cc’s Facebook feed (personal favourite, “I can’t see any problem except an entitled cyclist wanting to own the whole road”)!
Are you going to answer this
Are you going to answer this one in the youtube comments (hope so !!)
“Dear cyclist on this video, why didn’t you stop? It was blatantly clear it was a dangerous overtake onto your side of the road and yet you carried on. Why? “
Didn’t see that one, I’ll
Ashley didn’t comment on your
Ashley didn’t comment on your audible braking, so the response is that you reduced your speed to cater for the danger, what did this maligned knight of the road do?
Agreed, I hope you are
Agreed, I hope you are suitably ashamed of your entitled attitude and the fact that you unreasonably expect to go from A to B without a visit to A&E!
There’s a hashtag in there:
There’s a hashtag in there:
#AtoBnotA&E
There is another gem of a
There is another gem of a post which basically says Ashley shouldn’t be dobbing on this decent working class person for the entertainment of middle class keyboard warriors. (That’s a translation from the original Rantlish).
So basically, the working class should be allowed to drive like lunatics to let them get through the day (and presumably why should they have tax, insurance and MOT – them’s for toffs).
and presumably why should
and presumably why should they have tax, insurance and MOT? – them’s for toffs
No! Toffs dont have to bother with MOTs either, not in Lancashire anyway. No valid MOT since 28.2.22 for PL67 FFN
No other driver would ever
No other driver would ever overtake at such a poor location would they? And in a 20mph zone while I was going 20mph, and with no tax or insurance either. Oops, I mean just no tax, because I have no way of checking the insurance of a vehicle I do not own obviously, ahem.
with no tax
with no tax
Pfff! Untaxed vehicles are 10-a-penny in Lancashire, and so are No MOT vehicles. I have just reported 3 to Lancashire Constabulary who will file the reports immediately in the bin and do nothing. This is PN61 NVL
I was supposed to be in court
I was supposed to be in court next Monday as a witness to careless driving but sadly Birmingham Magistrates Court has been closed due to fire safety issues. At least WMP actually do something with our reports unlike your lot.
At least WMP actually do
At least WMP actually do something with our reports unlike your lot
I’m pleased to hear it. Lancashire COPs (Comic Opera Police) won’t do anything about this Berlingo KM12 UTL. To be fair to NFS NewBuild, they don’t actually state anything about vehicle safety and compliance with the law on their Our Service page and it had one of those tedious MOTs only 18 months ago
A far simpler method of
A far simpler method of enforcement would be to attend registered address and break windows upto the amount of road levy due…… With a few more for good measure!
After finishing my first ever
After finishing my first ever driving lesson, the ‘instructor’ drove me home, reaching 40mph in a 30mph zone. ‘I’ll get you home quickly’ he said. Needless to say that was the last lesson I had with him and told him why. Found a much better one after that.