- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
Near Miss of the Day 362: Punishment pass while beeping horn
It's impossible to interpret the driving in our latest Near Miss of the Day video as being anything other than a deliberate attempt to intimidate the cyclist.
The beeping the horn right before overtaking the cyclist is bad enough, but the fact the overtake itself takes place where the carriageway narrows due to a pedestrian island makes it clear that this is what is commonly termed a 'punishment pass'.
The footage was shot by road.cc reader Mike, who told us: "This driver needs educating that there simply isn’t enough space to squeeze past a cyclist while passing a pedestrian refuge island."
> 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
- Barraob1 4 hours 14 min ago
"The cyber truck of brifters" so a vanity project designed by an idiot for sycophants
- Smoggysteve 6 hours 45 min ago
If a chain comes off and gets stuck. That has absolutely zero to do with the frame. ...
- lesterama 7 hours 16 min ago
Just don't turn up at road races expecting to ride it.
- Richbeck 7 hours 34 min ago
Take a look at spa cycles - plenty of choice and options.
- anke2 9 hours 10 min ago
Just for a perspective:...
- brooksby 9 hours 33 min ago
Asking the Bristol Post to do actual journalism? Ha! That's a good one!
- mdavidford 14 hours 7 min ago
They were handed the victory on a Platea?
- chrisonabike 14 hours 46 min ago
I think the former is a fair summary. What's available guides buyers' choices BUT the common choices are reflected by the market here **....
- Dadams7378 15 hours 41 min ago
I'm not sure I agree they are 'promoting' this. It is a review, so unless you're suggesting the reviewer is biased towards Fizik, then it isn't a...
Add new comment
13 comments
The driver did beep (his her etc )horn. But the driver waited till they passed the road island before they over took the bike . No need for the beeping I agree (but maybe they were letting the cyclist know they were there , people sometimes are unsure in these situations ) but otherwise I don't see anything wrong at all and your all getting worked up over nothing.
Nah, sorry don't buy it. The horn was the driver letting there fustration out at having to slow for the pinch. You can see the car pitch forward showing how hard the brakes were applied. And you don't lean on the horn like that to let someone know your there.
Using your horn like that can cause people to panic, I was on a group ride where someone did something similar and someone paniced an grabed the brake resulting in a pileup. It wouldn't be acceptable around a horse rider, so I don't see why we should expect to be treated worse than horses.
Seems quite clear to me that they thought the cyclist should be further over (or rather not there at all) so sharing the road wasn't such a bother.
That said I am biased against Merc drivers, in my experience I have found them to be the worst - not necessarily the most arrogant, but the least competant.
The use of the horn was aggressive and only resulted from being cocooned in 1.5 tonnes of steel. Would the driver have behaved like that if they were both pedestrians ? Of course not.
Was it reported?
lets call it what it is a "cowards pass" (AKA punishment pass if you want) there is no entitlement to punish and drivers have no entitlement to intimidate....language is important to people's attitudes....time to change
Awww, poor little driver - held up for FOUR WHOLE SECONDS!
Twat.
White-sports-model driver entitlement syndrome...
That's the most common close-pass going. Motorists attempting to squeeze past at an island. They had the car to match too, it's an all-too-predictable profile.
Gotta love the smokey Discovery going in the opposite direction too, ha!
Improper use of horn. Report the fool and let's hope they get a min. of a £30 FPN.
Intimidating other road users is surely driving far below the standard expected, ie dangerous driving.
I wish that driver a thousand punctures and a gearbox failure.
I hope that's been submitted to the police.
Bullying behaviour like that is simply unacceptable on the roads and the beeping shows clear intention to cause fear in other road users. If the police don't prosecute, then raise a complaint.
Ninja rocks are fun.
All of the above.
Come on road.cc, what happened next?