Near Miss of the Day 377: Yet another close, quick overtake despite oncoming traffic

Good luck even getting an acknowledgment from Warwickshire Police, I have reported far worse and got nothing back at all.

I agree that justice can be a bit hit-and-miss, not just for incidents like these.

But what is clear from my experience is the police are stretched, and unless the victim is vocal enough, incidents will be overlooked.

It was interesting watching CycleGaz's recent review of the year video. He did get quite a few results. Yes, some were dropped by the police, but the point is, there is still a very real chance that the police will act and the motorist will get a penalty.

That perceived probability of getting caught, and the harshness of the penalty, are the things that will influence driver behaviour on our roads.

It's only going to happen if these incidents are reported and justice is sought by the victim.

I dont disagree in principle, but I mentioned this on CycleGaz's video that the only ones that perceive a probability of getting caught are those who the police issue a NIP to, the rest (who are the vast majority IMO) dont care or notice at all, and remember a close pass thing is a subjective prosecution anyway, its not a binary youve clearly & demonstrably broken the limit therefore have a speeding ticket, its usualy crikey thats way too close & dangerous have a NIP, so half those getting a letter probably dont think they did anything wrong anyway and its just us "entitled meddling cyclists persecuting them have we got anything better else to do etc etc", so what do they even learn from it ?

I reported several close passes last year,the police dealt with them all fine as far as I was concerned, but it hasnt stopped or lessened the amount of close passes for me, it didnt stop the 3 people this week who couldnt have been very far off knocking me off my bike, one 20min ride there were at least 5-6 Id qualify as reportable,just in one ride.

Norfolk & Suffolk police have run 3 close pass ops in the last month, with 41 drivers receiving education or NIPs, in one 2hr stint they got 17 drivers.

So what impact is any of it even having ? it feels like we are just taking a drop at a time of a very very big ocean.

I think the way forward is to focus on the more serious offences and ensuring justice is done. In this one for instance, the oncoming motorist sounds their horn and flashes their lights. That is a contributing factor that will make prosecution more likely.

The challenge will be getting enough mainstream media coverage out there so that the general motorist's perception of the risk of getting caught is raised.

If every driver thinks that every cyclist is packing cameras and that every misdemeanour will result in prosecution, then these issues should be less likely to occur. It's all about the perceived risk, whether that cyclist has a camera (or a diligent police force) or not.

Nasty?

Downright dangerous driving!
Get them off the road!