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Near Miss of the Day 507: Driver of rental van overtakes car and two cyclists despite oncoming vehicle

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

Today’s gung-ho overtake of a car and two cyclists only seems more and more ludicrous the more times you watch it.

The incident occurred near Mobberley in Cheshire on November 27.

The driver of a rental van moves onto the opposite side of the road to overtake a car, then continues past the two cyclists.

This manoeuvre is carried out despite the presence of a very large, extremely visible, oncoming vehicle which causes the driver to cut back in near the leading cyclist.

Watch the footage again and you can see that the van driver travelling in the opposite direction doesn’t merely stop, but does so hard up against the verge to avoid a collision.

The video was submitted by Ant, who reported the incident to Cheshire Police.

The force told him it would be taking “further action”.

> 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

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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17 comments

Avatar
OldRidgeback | 3 years ago
4 likes

Normally it's the white van driver that's the stereotypical baddie behind the wheel, but not in this instance. The white van driver was on the ball and took quick action that prevented a nasty crash. 

There's no excuse for this type of 'must get in front' driving by the idiot in the rental van. Impatience of this sort results in people suffering serious injuries and would've done in this instance, of not for the quick thinking of the person in the white van.

I'd send the clip to the cops.

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Projectcyclingf... | 4 years ago
4 likes

A question needs putting to this show off maniac boyracer of how he would feel if his family members were threatened in a similar manor as he has in this easily avoidable incident.
I would think he wouldn't worry as his family are not likely in vulnerable group category - travelling in a safety cocoons their cars provide - but remove ALL occupant safety features, including doors, roofs and glass, they'd dare'nt speed or pull manoeuvres that may risk them being thrown out of theIr cars and hurting themselves.

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Mungecrundle replied to Projectcyclingfitness | 4 years ago
10 likes

You are making a rather huge assumption that the driver in this particular incident has any notion that they put someone else at risk of injury. I rather suspect, if asked, that they would lay blame entirely with the cyclists.

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Velophaart_95 replied to Mungecrundle | 3 years ago
0 likes

Exactly!! They don't care, and no amount of 'education' has any effect on these people. The only way they'll stop is by being detained at HMP. 

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NZ Vegan Rider | 4 years ago
4 likes

The note re you may get a prosecution should be you may injure or kill someone but that doesn't appeal to scumbag dangerous drivers so only self interest does ;-(

Whether in a rental van or not they can still be prosecuted and hopefully will be.

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grumpyoldcyclist | 4 years ago
11 likes

Glad the riders were okay and well done the white van driver. Completely inexcusable driving from rental twat, however Cheshire police are very reluctant to act usually, hopefully they will do better this time. However if they do, it will have nothing to do with endangering cyclists, it will be because one van forced the other to come to a halt to avoid a collision.

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Cycloid replied to grumpyoldcyclist | 4 years ago
8 likes

Cheshire Police aren't that bad

I did a freedom of information enquiry, for last year

144 cyclist video submissions were received in 2019
46 were processed
Conditional Offer - Paid:  4           Course Attended:  28           Court Process:  6      Cancelled: 3    Warning Letter: 4     Outcome not held: 1

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iandusud | 4 years ago
4 likes

Well I certianly hope that that results in a serious prosecution. That was nothing short of reckless. If they get away with pleade guilty to Driving Without Due Car and Attention it will be a travesty. 

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ktache replied to iandusud | 4 years ago
0 likes

Hire vehicle though...

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Rendel Harris replied to ktache | 4 years ago
6 likes

ktache wrote:

Hire vehicle though...

Shouldn't be a problem, Enterprise will have the driver's details, a photo of them and a scan of their driver's licence. Failure as the registered keeper to provide details of a driver at the time of an offence is punishable by fines of up to £1000. If asked, they would provide the information.

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Awavey | 4 years ago
6 likes

the worst part of that, the caption at the end, drive like the person in that video and you MAY get prosecuted...just may, not will, not a proceed directly to jail, not banned from ever hiring a van again or being allowed anywhere near a road,but may get prosecuted for deliberately endangering other peoples lives on the road, just so they could get to wherever they were going that micro second sooner.

 

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Hirsute replied to Awavey | 4 years ago
9 likes

They might get a £35 admin fee from Enterprise though - that'll show 'em.

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squidgy | 4 years ago
3 likes

Wow...

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ktache | 4 years ago
9 likes

Good driving and forward thinking from the driver of the oncoming van.

Hate to think of the consequences if they hadn't stopped.

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Captain Badger replied to ktache | 4 years ago
10 likes
ktache wrote:

Good driving and forward thinking from the driver of the oncoming van.

Hate to think of the consequences if they hadn't stopped.

I think we know what would have happened - 2 wiped out riders.
"I had no choice, had to avoid a head on crash."...

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Hirsute replied to ktache | 4 years ago
4 likes

You might eventually get arrested if the family complain long and hard enough.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-54619094

 

* I emailed the bbc to complain about that one as it was factually incorrect. I see they have made no changes.

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ktache replied to Hirsute | 4 years ago
0 likes

The video of the funeral procession made me shed a tear.

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