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Driver fined £400 after almost crashing into group of cyclists

The motorist was also given nine points on his licence for the appalling driving

A driver has been fined almost £400 and given nine points on his licence for a 'careless' close pass on a group of cyclists.

The impatient motorist was trying to get past the riders as they approached a traffic island.

One of the cyclists even had to swerve to avoid being hit as the driver sped by on the A4054 in Pontypridd, Wales. 

GoSafe, which aims to ensure safety on Welsh roads, said the manoeuvre 'severely increased the risk to the safety of the cyclists involved'.

The motorist pleaded guilty to driving without due care at Cardiff Magistrates' Court, where he received a fine of £386 and was given the maximum amount of points you can receive for that offence.

Teresa Ciano, GoSafe Partnership Manager said: "We all have a part to play in keeping our roads safe for everyone. 

"Careless close passes, like the one recorded in this incident, risks the safety of cyclists.

"The consequence of this careless incident reflects the seriousness of the offence. 

"We all share the road and should be able to do so confidently. When approaching a cyclist, be patient and wait until you can overtake safely."

While this latest incident is clearly a step in the right direction, road.cc recently reported on the fact that Gwent Police confirmed cyclists who experienced a close pass and submitted video footage, may themselves face prosecution if they are heard swearing or seen acting aggressively. 

> Gwent Police confirm cyclist submitting close pass footage could face prosecution for swearing (+ video ... which includes swearing)

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42 comments

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Dicklexic | 2 years ago
1 like

Of course many of you will not be surprised to learn that when this article broke on our local newspaper website and associated FB feed (incident on Cardiff Rd, Pontypridd, Wales Online reported it) there was an overwhelming number of ignorant drivers flooding the comments sections spouting ill-informed nonsense. Pretty much all of them completely failing to appreciate why the riders were riding 2-abreast on this road, and why riding single file through the central dividers would NOT have made them any safer. To be fair many drivers agreed that the driver in the video was way out of order, but most still argued that the cyclists put themselves at risk and were being a nuisance.

https://fb.watch/7JbbhGHINK/

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Hirsute replied to Dicklexic | 2 years ago
8 likes

I read a few of those - very drepressing.

The bloke who claimed to be a driving instructor was the worst. 

Cyclists can only use 30 mph roads - at this point, I decided he could not be an instuctor with that level of ignorance of how roads around the whole of the country are classified. Perhaps he never gets out of the big city.

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talby2491 | 2 years ago
1 like

I'm a driver and cyclist. I believe cyclists should also be aware that we do not own the road either. And stupid tactics when riding are dangerous. One example. I live on a quiet back road and was following 2 cyclists for nearly 10 minutes all because of there arrogance. I did use the horn in the end to make them aware I was there. They were not happy started to shout abuse until I got out and they cycled away in the direction they have biked

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wtjs replied to talby2491 | 2 years ago
8 likes

Another one-poster. Ignore!

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OldRidgeback replied to wtjs | 2 years ago
9 likes

A poster who doesn't know the difference between there and their and who came up with this bit of word salad: They were not happy started to shout abuse until I got out and they cycled away in the direction they have biked

Trolls often have dodgy grammar and can't spell I've noticed.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to talby2491 | 2 years ago
12 likes

So let me confirm what you were trying to put across random-number username person (or 30yo who should know better). 

You were driving up a single track lane for 10 minutes behind two cyclists. So in the 10 minutes you were driving it was too dangerous to overtake. So what is the stupid tactics as you added your tale as an example of those but it doesn't sound dangerous to the cyclists so who was it dangerous to? You?
(Btw, were you on driver time where what you feel is "nearly" 10 minutes was actually 1 or 2 at max but because you were finally forced into a safe speed for once, you feel it was eternity?)

You then sounded your horn once to make them aware you were "there". This caused you to receive abuse. However when you "got out", they cycled away. This is confusing though. There are only two positions you could have been in then. Behind them in which case they could only cycle forward otherwise they would have had to go past someone who is road raging and that doesn't sound safe for them with you still behind. Or you were ahead of them so would have overtaken? Is that when you sounded the horn? Forcing the overtake on dangerous single track road that meant you couldn't safely pass for "nearly 10 minutes". Maybe the abuse came not just for the aggressive beeping as you went passed but the manner you might have done it in. 

So any update on the details here? Did you actually "force" your way past dangerously to them, beeping in a "that'll teach you" manner, then didn't like someone calling you "female genitalia", then road raged? 

 

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Rik Mayals unde... replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
4 likes

Ignore them, they are just another keyboard wrrier who hates cyclists.

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jaymack replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 2 years ago
2 likes

"Pudenda" is usually as good word a word as any to shout out in exclamation. I'm far too polite to mention on line what it means (I knew a couple who gave their boat that as a name) and when the target of your remark asks what it means you can gleefully tell them that they're a "c#$t".

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Mungecrundle replied to talby2491 | 2 years ago
14 likes

10 minutes? That's nothing, I spent nearly 3 hours stuck on the M25 a few weeks ago because 2 muppets in cars couldn't keep their cars right way up.

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wycombewheeler replied to Mungecrundle | 2 years ago
10 likes
Mungecrundle wrote:

10 minutes? That's nothing, I spent nearly 3 hours stuck on the M25 a few weeks ago because 2 muppets in cars couldn't keep their cars right way up.

I trust every motorist gave them loads of abuse when they finally got past?

No? just cyclists then, not horses, learners, tractors, herses, lorries blocking the road to do deliveries, bin men etc etc. Just when they get held up by cyclists they lose their little minds.

Last time there was someone stuck behind me on a single track lane, I looked to pull in to the first decent passing place I saw, but they were no longer behind me due to losing time passing a car coming in the other direction. So the OP view is (apparently) cyclists should stop and stand in the verge so he can pass them on a single track road, despite the fact they will then be stuck behind HIM when (not surprisingly) a car comes the other way.

How long is this single track road he lives on to be stuck behind some for ten minutes? And do these 'tactics' he refer to include two cyclists taking up almost as much space as he does on his own in a car?

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Hirsute replied to wycombewheeler | 2 years ago
5 likes

A 12 mph that's 2 miles of waiting and 3 miles at 18 mph.

Assuming 10 minutes is anywhere near correct.

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Captain Badger replied to talby2491 | 2 years ago
11 likes
talby2491 wrote:

I'm a driver and cyclist. I believe cyclists should also be aware that we do not own the road either. And stupid tactics when riding are dangerous.

How is it dangerous to ride side by side? I can honestly say that I've never fallen off or run anyone over when riding side by side. Not even a wobble. Please can you explain how it is dangerous?

As a driver, I've seen loads of people riding side by side too, and I've never seen them fall off or run anyone over, and I've never come close to running them over either - how could I? I can see them, they're relatively slow-moving and predictable.

Could it be that you mean that danger comes from crap behaviour from drivers? Cos that's the only situation I can imagine where the above is dangerous. When a driver who is incompetent and/or aggressive behaves in a dangerous manner around others - and let's be clear, it isn't just people on bikes incompetent drivers endanger, they endanger everyone.

The risk always comes from the driver and is always utterly optional on the driver's part. Any driver who exposes 2 riders to risk will inevitably also expose one rider to risk.

As a cyclist, of course, you already know this......

talby2491 wrote:

...... One example. I live on a quiet back road and was following 2 cyclists for nearly 10 minutes

Now you're just making shit up. 

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giff77 replied to talby2491 | 2 years ago
6 likes
talby2491 wrote:

I'm a driver and cyclist. I believe cyclists should also be aware that we do not own the road either. And stupid tactics when riding are dangerous. One example. I live on a quiet back road and was following 2 cyclists for nearly 10 minutes all because of there arrogance. I did use the horn in the end to make them aware I was there. They were not happy started to shout abuse until I got out and they cycled away in the direction they have biked

I shall not take the bait. I shall not take the bait. I shall not take the bait...

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Flintshire Boy replied to giff77 | 2 years ago
3 likes

Go on. Take the bait. Make a reasoned case. You know - like grown ups do when discussing issues.

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markieteeee replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
7 likes

A reasoned case might analyse each part of the story with a view to understanding the author's intention or the meaning behind some of the nonsensical sentences. I will have a go:

I'm a driver and cyclist. 

I’m a driver who hates cyclists, although I have been on a bike. I add that ‘I’m a cyclist’ because it I think it means that I cannot possibly be prejudiced. Just like when people precede racist comments with ‘I’m not racist but…’

I believe cyclists should also be aware that we do not own the road either. 

I believe that cars own the road. I will pointless add ‘either’ as a negative adverb to link to a previous comment, although in this case the previous sentence didn’t mention anything about ownership of the roads, so it won’t quite make sense.

And stupid tactics when riding are dangerous.

And although stupid tactics in all modes of transport are dangerous and far, far more dangerous in motor vehicles, it’s the cyclists that I like to rant about.  The following story will not even contain any mention of stupid tactics. I meant to think of some but forgot.

One example. 

One example that portrays me in a terrible light even though I’ve distorted it to make me look better.

I live on a quiet back road and was following 2 cyclists for nearly 10 minutes…

I live on a quiet back road and was following two cyclists for a period of more than 10 seconds… 

…all because of there arrogance. 

…all because they had the arrogance not to dive into a ditch as soon as I arrived, resplendent in my two tonnes of steel. Someone will probably pick me up on my incorrect use of ‘there’ but grammar nazis are the real nazis, right?

I did use the horn in the end to make them aware I was there. 

I tried to intimidate them repeatedly with aggressive and unnecessary use of the horn, while driving dangerously close behind them.

They were not happy started to shout abuse…

They were not happy that I was threatening them. But everyone knows that once they swear out of fear, or through the adrenaline at their life being threatened, they have lost the high moral ground and therefore are fair game.

until I got out…

They swore. I had every right to assault them. Police don't even prosecute for incidents on the road when cyclists swear.

…and they cycled away… 

… and they sensibly avoided a violent altercation.  I can tell everyone how hard I am and how they bricked it.

…in the direction they have biked

… in the direction that makes no sense in my garbled account of how I threatened more vulnerable road users but I had to skip a few details because I don’t want to look like a sociopath. I'm pretty sure I've managed that.

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Hirsute replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
4 likes

Grown ups also recognise where no meaningful discussion is possible.

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Captain Badger replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
1 like
hirsute wrote:

Grown ups also recognise where no meaningful discussion is possible.

There's got to be some pertinent comment about nominative determinism to add there...

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Rendel Harris replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
5 likes
Flintshire Boy wrote:

Go on. Take the bait. Make a reasoned case. You know - like grown ups do when discussing issues.

That person is not "discussing issues", s/he's trolling this site with illiterate colour-by-numbers anti-cyclist cliches. Do you honestly believe s/he's posting in order to have a reasoned adult discussion?

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giff77 replied to Flintshire Boy | 2 years ago
1 like

Going by talby's post/rant I'm not sure that they will want to enter into a reasoned discourse. 

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wtjs | 2 years ago
3 likes

Those 9 points cheer me immensely. Can't see any such thing happening in Lancashire.

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OldRidgeback | 2 years ago
7 likes

Finally - a rubbish driver gets a suitable punishment and learns the hard way to show more care...

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pockstone | 2 years ago
4 likes

Thankfully no-one hurt on this occasion.

Unlike this nasty incident:

https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/crime/cyclist-left-seriously...

Hoping for a full recovery, but sounds very nasty. When are these close passes going to be accepted/ prosecuted for what they are:- Assaults with potentially catastrophic consequences.

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eburtthebike | 2 years ago
3 likes

"Careless" not "dangerous"?  I beg to differ, as this was clearly, undeniably, blatantly dangerous, and to call it otherwise is denying the facts and glossing over behaviour that could have led to injury or death.

This is why we need the comprehensive review of road law; I can't wait for it to produce its final report, which should be any day now, given how many years ago it was announced.

ADMIN, yet again, when are the bloody intrusive ads over the comments going to disappear?

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wycombewheeler replied to eburtthebike | 2 years ago
1 like
eburtthebike wrote:

ADMIN, yet again, when are the bloody intrusive ads over the comments going to disappear?

Indeed clicked on the cross to close the ad, google asked "why this ad" selected "covered content" then the "we won't show this ad again box covered the content, then it was replaced with another ad covering the content.

When the site becomes unusable due to ads, people we stop using it, then there will be no ad revenue.

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Sriracha | 2 years ago
5 likes

Why is the number plate obscured in the video? Public prosecutions are public. And there is in any case no expectation for the privacy of one's number plate - that's kind of the point about number plates.

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Hirsute replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes

Probably some twatter algorithm.

Although, depending on context, a number plate can be personal data and hence protected.

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Sriracha replied to Hirsute | 2 years ago
1 like

Interesting, would the driver have been justified in masking the plate in anticipation of performing the manoeuvre, in order to protect their identity? (I see plenty of obscured number plates, generally on performance cars, obviously untroubled by the rozzers)

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Hirsute replied to Sriracha | 2 years ago
0 likes

No because that would be illegal.

The data protection thing came up in the 'cars crash into buildings' thread.

Not convinced by the registrar's claim.

 

edit

https://road.cc/content/forum/car-crashes-building-please-post-your-loca...

p11 onward (assuming you are 30 posts per page)

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brooksby | 2 years ago
4 likes

I have this image of the motorist saying to themselves, "A traffic island with light up bollards, where did that come from?" - I suspect that they were so focussed on how they must get past the cyclists that stationary bits of street furniture didn't even register. Which is the definition for "careless " even though it was very dangerous...

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Hirsute | 2 years ago
4 likes

Another one to go with nmotd 629 which also had giff77's video in it.

Is there an answer to this, as even if you try and take the lane, there seems to be a driver who will ignore all the hazards to weaponise their vehicle. Of course, they would no view it in that way.

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