Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

(Not so) Near Miss of the Day 469: Uninsured driver hits cyclist with wing mirror

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

Sometimes in our Near Miss of the Day series, we have a video that strictly speaking shouldn't qualify for it, because rather than being a close pass, the driver has actually made contact with the cyclist, and that's what we have today with this clip from West Yorkshire.

The footage was sent in by road.cc reader Andy, who said: "The incident happened on Côte de Otley Chevin (East Chevin Road) on 8 September.

"The Black Ford Focus which turned out to not be registered, taxed, MOTd or insured hit my right elbow with it’s door mirror at speed.

"Luckily, the only damage was a rip in my new jersey and a slight graze," he added.

> 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.

Add new comment

45 comments

Avatar
wtjs | 3 years ago
7 likes

This is the one who hit me with his nearside front door mirror (there seems to be an outbreak of pedantry about) while doing 50 mph and crossing the unbroken white line. Complete lack of response from Lancashire Constabulary, but I was a novice at this business back then- now I would just fire in a complaint to LC (worthless, of course, because they always find that they were correct, but they still have to go through the paperwork and effort) and wtite to my MP. I have done that with the recent LC policy of refusing to allocate incident numbers and refusing to respond to any letters about incidents. especially those involving motorists crashing red lights

 

Avatar
eburtthebike replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
5 likes

Well done, and thank you.  Make them work hard enough to cover up their laziness and incompetence and eventually it will be easier for them to do the job properly.

Avatar
ibr17xvii replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
0 likes

Unfortunately you are wasting your time with Lancashire Constabulary, they simply don't care or don't have the resources, or both. 
 

Well done for making them do something though. 

Avatar
Bungle_52 replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
1 like

Keep up the good work and thank you for your efforts. If only Roadd c c would do something for us.

Avatar
TriTaxMan | 3 years ago
0 likes

That is shocking the driver needs tracked down and prosecuted.

There is however a bit of an issue with this feature.  It should be filled purely with the incidents that the police have chosen not to prosecute.  When I was told a Fixed Penalty Notice was being issued to a driver in relation to an incident I was told not to post the video on Social Media or otherwise make it public as it would adversely affect chances of a prosecution should the driver dispute the charge and request their date in court.

So if the driver gets issued with a NIP, and disputes it, this video could be tainted as evidence.... just saying.  And remember lawyers will use any excuse to get evidence thrown out.

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to TriTaxMan | 3 years ago
3 likes

The police post out videos all the time in an effort to track people down. Surely if what you state is the case then anyone arrested afterwards would not be able to be charged, face trial and sentenced if found guilty. 

I suspect it is mostly because they don't want the bad publicity if they don't do anything or 200 people posting a link to the Super. 

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to TriTaxMan | 3 years ago
3 likes

TriTaxMan wrote:

So if the driver gets issued with a NIP, and disputes it, this video could be tainted as evidence.... just saying.  And remember lawyers will use any excuse to get evidence thrown out.

The issue is not the evidence being tainted, but a jury becoming biased prior to the case being held. This is the reason comments are not allowed on some news articles.

In reality, there are many cases where video evidence has been publically released and discussed in the media prior to a trial without it being a problem.

One of the key tests the police use is 'is it in the public interest to prosecute'.

I think that telling the police the footage I submitted had been published in the cycling media gave some weight to that argument.

Avatar
ChrisB200SX | 3 years ago
16 likes

If drivers were obliged to have registration plates, training, insurance, be licenced and pay road tax this guy would be traceable and this would never happen... Wait a minute.

Avatar
Morgoth985 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Failing to stop?

Avatar
peted76 | 3 years ago
0 likes

Technically it may be called a 'wing mirror' but mirrors haven't been prevalent on car wings since the 70's! 

Where is your wing mirror? I'm sure someone somewhere is thinking about starting a petition.

Avatar
NZ Vegan Rider replied to peted76 | 3 years ago
0 likes

peted76 wrote:

Technically it may be called a 'wing mirror' but mirrors haven't been prevalent on car wings since the 70's! 

Where is your wing mirror? I'm sure someone somewhere is thinking about starting a petition.

 

Plenty of Japanese cars have had mirrors on what we in NZ call front mudguards into the '90s.

"wing" - flying car?!

Avatar
TheBillder replied to NZ Vegan Rider | 3 years ago
1 like

If it's a Lamborghini Countach or Mercedes 300 SLR with gull wing doors is the mirror then both types?

Avatar
eburtthebike | 3 years ago
0 likes

Clearly a chronic criminal, but since the plate isn't readable, how was it established that it wasn't registered, insured, MoT'd or VED paid?

Avatar
AlsoSomniloquism replied to eburtthebike | 3 years ago
7 likes

In the video on Youtube it isn't readable but that could be down to compression values etc that is used to save space. Original recording might be clearer. 

Avatar
swldxer | 3 years ago
4 likes

It's a DOOR mirror.

Avatar
OnYerBike replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
9 likes

Not you again...

Avatar
Losd replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
3 likes
Avatar
swldxer replied to Losd | 3 years ago
2 likes

Are they attached to the door or the front wing? If it's the former, then it is obviously a door mirror. Wing mirrors went out decades ago.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
2 likes

It's a side[-view] mirror.

Can we all move along now please?

Avatar
Hirsute replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
0 likes

You forgot to add FACT

Are you a bot similar to the cycling bot on twitter ?

Avatar
Captain Badger replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

End of.

Avatar
giff77 replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
3 likes

swldxer wrote:

It's a DOOR mirror.

So a vulnerable road user gets skelped by an uninsured unregistered vehicle and all you can bring to the conversation is this! 

Avatar
Velo-drone replied to swldxer | 3 years ago
4 likes

Nope.  Language doesn't work like that - if it did then we'd have to rename dual carriageways because they aren't used by carriages any more. 

It's a wing mirror, because everyone calls it a wing mirror and knows exactly what is being talked about when someone says "wing mirror", whereas if you go around talking about "door mirrors" you will cause confusion and bewidlerment with the majority of people.  

Avatar
OnTheRopes | 3 years ago
1 like

I am curious if these and other such videos have been submitted to the Police? Having just bought cameras for my bike the police submission page says not to upload to social media as CPS say it mat affect any proceedings.

Avatar
OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
10 likes

That's seriously scary. Surely the cops will have to take action. If the vehicle isn't insured, MOTd and hasn't had VED paid, then that's worth at least 9 penalty points. Then there's the matter of crossing double white lines, plus driving so close that the cyclist was actually hit, which at the very least should qualify for driving without due care and attention. In theory, the driver should be banned for 12 months. That's assuming the driver actually has a licence in the first place.

Avatar
the little onion replied to OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
9 likes

Can we get an update on what the outcome of any police enquiries were? My concern is the bit where it says the vehicle wasn't registered. This to my understanding means that it is using fake number plates, so is untraceable. 

Avatar
squidgy replied to the little onion | 3 years ago
0 likes

When a car sold the keeper (seller) sends the V5 to the DVLA with the new keepers (buyers) Name and address, but it's easy to give the seller fake details and the vehicle then effectively becomes unregistered. Or it could be on fake or cloned plates.

Avatar
Luca Patrono replied to the little onion | 3 years ago
4 likes

I'm interested to know if the police provided any response as well. Having reported a few times to the West Yorkshire portal, they state that they will not provide any response whatsoever beyond the automated confirmation of upload, unless they require your assistance in court. Utterly, utterly unacceptable btw

Avatar
ktache replied to Luca Patrono | 3 years ago
4 likes

If the car hits the rider then surely they are definitely a victim and not merely a witness?

Avatar
zero_trooper replied to ktache | 3 years ago
5 likes

Correct ktache, technically this is Fail To Stop accident, as 'owing to the presence of a motor vehicle on a road' a collision occurred as a result of which damage occurred - the tear to the rider's jersey.

If it was reported to the police (legally the car driver's responsibility, but, well you know) then it should have been recorded as an RTC and investigated.

Pages

Latest Comments