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Near Miss of the Day 208: Tractor driver thinks bridge is plenty wide enough (it isn’t)Chain gang dodge tractor (via Twitter)

Near Miss of the Day 208: Tractor driver thinks bridge is plenty wide enough (it isn’t)

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s South Yorkshire
by Alex Bowden
Sat, Nov 03, 2018 16:06
10

Today’s near miss sees a group of cyclists take evasive action when the driver of an oncoming tractor sees fit to drive onto the very narrow bridge they’re already in the process of crossing.

The incident occurred on October 30, just after midday. Bob says it’s the third near miss he’s reported to police this year.

“They have always followed it up. The first driver, a low loader, was given a warning and was very apologetic. The second driver was on false plates. This one was the worst.”

 

 

Bob says it was even closer than it looks. “I was really concerned about the young lad who had to swerve in. He didn’t deserve that. He sure had some bike skills though.”

> 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

Near Miss of the Day
NMotD
South Yorkshire
tractor
Alex Bowden

Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.

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10 comments

Avatar
DoctorFish | 5 years ago
4 likes

Properly terrifying.  The driver must have saved himself all of 2 seconds by not slowing down.

Avatar
OnTheRopes | 5 years ago
7 likes

I have had countless experiences like this, tractors are predominently driven by 'Youths' who have no respect for other road users and don't seem able to slow down at all. 

Avatar
HoarseMann | 5 years ago
8 likes

Now that is shocking. I reckon it was a punishment as the cyclists didn’t give way to the tractor as the markings show on the bridge, even though they were on the bridge before the tractor came into view.

That could easily have been a multiple fatality. The police need to take this seriously.

Avatar
Gus T replied to HoarseMann | 5 years ago
5 likes
HoarseMann wrote:

Now that is shocking. I reckon it was a punishment as the cyclists didn’t give way to the tractor as the markings show on the bridge, even though they were on the bridge before the tractor came into view.

That could easily have been a multiple fatality. The police need to take this seriously.

Except you give way to oncoming vehicles on the bridge and the tractor wasn't in sight when the cyclists entered the bridge so the tractor should have stopped. Technically the tractor only had right of way if it arrived at the bridge the same time as the cyclists otherwise the first vehicle on the bridge has right of way. The trouble is that there are too many young people driving tractors with no training and a sense of entitlement.

 

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to Gus T | 5 years ago
3 likes
Gus T wrote:
HoarseMann wrote:

Now that is shocking. I reckon it was a punishment as the cyclists didn’t give way to the tractor as the markings show on the bridge, even though they were on the bridge before the tractor came into view.

That could easily have been a multiple fatality. The police need to take this seriously.

Except you give way to oncoming vehicles on the bridge and the tractor wasn't in sight when the cyclists entered the bridge so the tractor should have stopped. Technically the tractor only had right of way if it arrived at the bridge the same time as the cyclists otherwise the first vehicle on the bridge has right of way. The trouble is that there are too many young people driving tractors with no training and a sense of entitlement.

 

Exactly my point. The markings giving the tractor driver an incorrect sense of entitlement and he's put lives at risk to make his point (even though he’s in the wrong).

Avatar
Gus T replied to HoarseMann | 5 years ago
2 likes
HoarseMann wrote:
Gus T wrote:
HoarseMann wrote:

Now that is shocking. I reckon it was a punishment as the cyclists didn’t give way to the tractor as the markings show on the bridge, even though they were on the bridge before the tractor came into view.

That could easily have been a multiple fatality. The police need to take this seriously.

Except you give way to oncoming vehicles on the bridge and the tractor wasn't in sight when the cyclists entered the bridge so the tractor should have stopped. Technically the tractor only had right of way if it arrived at the bridge the same time as the cyclists otherwise the first vehicle on the bridge has right of way. The trouble is that there are too many young people driving tractors with no training and a sense of entitlement.

 

Exactly my point. The markings giving the tractor driver an incorrect sense of entitlement and he's put lives at risk to make his point (even though he’s in the wrong).

Okey dokey, I misunderstood what you where getting at. Sorry

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to Gus T | 5 years ago
1 like
Gus T wrote:
HoarseMann wrote:
Gus T wrote:
HoarseMann wrote:

Now that is shocking. I reckon it was a punishment as the cyclists didn’t give way to the tractor as the markings show on the bridge, even though they were on the bridge before the tractor came into view.

That could easily have been a multiple fatality. The police need to take this seriously.

Except you give way to oncoming vehicles on the bridge and the tractor wasn't in sight when the cyclists entered the bridge so the tractor should have stopped. Technically the tractor only had right of way if it arrived at the bridge the same time as the cyclists otherwise the first vehicle on the bridge has right of way. The trouble is that there are too many young people driving tractors with no training and a sense of entitlement.

 

Exactly my point. The markings giving the tractor driver an incorrect sense of entitlement and he's put lives at risk to make his point (even though he’s in the wrong).

Okey dokey, I misunderstood what you where getting at. Sorry

No probs. It’s not the clearest sentence I’ve ever written! Bashed out quickly on the phone...
Just don’t want anyone to think I’m defending the tractor driver in any way.

Avatar
mike the bike | 5 years ago
10 likes

 

Not sure it applies to this case but it's possible to earn a Group F (tractor) licence by sitting a "home test" at, or near, the farm.  The test is often taken by farmers' children.

The test is short, usually around the block, the driver is not accompanied by the examiner and the manoevres consist only of a reverse around a corner and an emergency stop.  Many candidates wouldn't reach a speed of twenty mph.

Is this test an anachronism in the days of the 45mph machine?

Avatar
StuInNorway | 5 years ago
13 likes

Each and every member of that ride needs to walk into their local Police station independantly to file a complaint . . not a single one as a group, but all individually. Only when they start treating each person they threaten as a different case, and adding up the files into multiples will a fine hurt enough to get attention. Biggest problem here is that unless someone had a rear camera, there is no visible number plate, tractors for some reason being street legal with only one at the rear.

Avatar
burtthebike | 5 years ago
11 likes

If this driver isn't banned there is no justice.  With all the witnesses and the video I sincerely hope he will be charged and found guilty of dangerous driving and be banned for ten years and then have to pass a very strict driving test.  And fined a few thousand quid.

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