Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

Near Miss of the Day 778: Impatient driver overtaking cyclist narrowly avoids hitting oncoming motorist

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

We regularly see impatient overtakes on Near Miss of the Day, some worse than others, but few come as close to causing a collision as this.

road.cc reader Marcus was riding on the A442 in Worcestershire near Inkberrow just after 11 o'clock, and was "heading back to quieter lanes" when this high speed near miss happened.

> Near Miss of the Day 777: Driver chatting with passenger pulls out on cyclist

"Whilst riding up a slight incline, two cars passed me ok, but the black Skoda Kodiaq AF20 UZU decides it must get in front of me in the face of another car travelling in the opposite direction.

 "This is an approach to a brow of a hill where you get a blind spot from traffic coming the other way. The Skoda passes too close to me and ‘worse’ almost collides with the oncoming VW who sounded its horn in alarm.

"I hope you’ll publish this as it could have been a multiple disaster as a result of their driving."

> 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 is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.

Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.

Add new comment

8 comments

Avatar
P3t3 | 2 years ago
1 like

The problem with faster roads like this is the speed differential. Most drivers aren't looking far enough ahead and don't have the understanding/discipline to slow down well in advance of cyclists who are essentially stationary when compared to the speed of the car. They get too close before taking action and the once it's too late they feel the only thing they can do is squeeze past. Absolutely horrible!

Avatar
grOg replied to P3t3 | 2 years ago
0 likes

Yep; at least the driver saw the cyclist and didn't make him a bonnet ornament..

Avatar
Seagull2 | 2 years ago
9 likes

It is depressing that people can drive like that and essentially get away with it. If Seagull2 was running the show, that'd be 6 points, a driver awareness course, 1000squid fine, and insurance companies get full sight of penalties , so there ! 

Avatar
OldRidgeback | 2 years ago
3 likes

I hope the footage is sent to the cops and that they take action. That driver is dangerous.

Avatar
lesterama | 2 years ago
6 likes

Not nice.

Tricky decisions for a road like this: stay in the gutter and risk passes like that, or go in secondary and risk someone not deviating from their line.

Avatar
IanMSpencer replied to lesterama | 2 years ago
4 likes

Yeah, Ambridge seems to frustrate drivers so they get lead-footed either side and the road width means that they can't pass even if you are in the gutter, as the video shows. Hard to stay out when you have a vehicle up your jacksie at 60mph. Fortunately, I only ride it in a group.

The road links to the Lenches so is a popular route and you have to use it for about half a mile. There are back ways around the rest.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to IanMSpencer | 2 years ago
2 likes

IanMSpencer wrote:

Yeah, Ambridge seems to frustrate drivers

Is Linda Snell's speedwatch campaign still going? All seems to have gone very quiet on that front.

Avatar
Spangly Shiny | 2 years ago
0 likes

A real sixpence florin moment that!

Latest Comments