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news
MK12EPO Short 0-26 screenshotNear Miss of the Day 807: Driver comes out with “maniacal laugh” after pulling out on cyclist
Something a bit different in our Near Miss of the Day series today – a driver waiting to pull out of a side road and whose view of an approaching cyclist was blocked by a vehicle ahead of the rider, then realising his mistake after pulling out let out what was described as a “maniacal laugh.”
The cackling car driver was encountered by road.cc reader Steve on a ride last weekend in Surrey’s affluent stockbroker belt, with the incident happening around 26 seconds into the video.
Steve told us: “I was cycling through Haslemere on Saturday when the driver of a white Nissan pulled out in front of me.
“The driver I was behind (who I'd also previously had to brake for) turned left and the Nissan driver failed to check that there was nothing following and pulled out in front of me.
“As he realised his mistake, rather than raising a hand to apologise, he let out a hilarious maniacal laugh!”
Sharp-eyed Steve added: “Note the registration number of the Nissan – EPO.”
> 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.
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8 comments
He was easily in phlegm shot.
You must TAKE THE SHOT!
Coincidentally, I had a driver laugh at me in similar or slightly more maniacal way, in Bristol a few days ago. I was on foot, in fact I was on a zebra crossing. The driver of a BMW drove straight at me then emergency stopped in the middle of the crossing, stuck his head out the window and gave a maniacal laugh. Perhaps it's the new trend?
I had a bald fat fella in an open-top Mercedes pass me as I rode along an A-road, and pull alongside to yell "W*NKER!" and laughing at his own comedic genius as he pulled away. Most odd.
That's where I live and had exactly the same thing happen yesterday on my commute home. Minus the maniacal laugh.
Also about 500m from where I was rear ended by a pickup driver last year and 2x abused by other road users. Welcome to Surrey.
Micrapenis.
Driving a Nissan Micra is no laughing matter.
Not so much maniacal as derisory; I've pulled out in front of you, so tough.
Was it reported?
I suspect the driver would have (incorrectly) done that even if there was a car following - and one day he'll have a crunch relying on another car's indicator too.
As a cyclist, I am wary of drivers who are likely to do that. You can make the situation worse "filtering" past a car that is turning left even if it has slowed for the turn and road space allows - after all the HWC does say do not overtake at or approaching a junction (which is why I picked up on the word filtering). I have also been caught out when cars take a right turn area at a crossroads and have apparently blocked the road forward to cars by poor positioning and then cars have pulled out because they haven't considered a bike or motorbike (or hire scooter, I suppose) has sufficient space to continue.