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Near Miss of the Day 560: Overtaking driver hits cyclist’s elbow – and has no idea (includes swearing)

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

A driver whose wing mirror struck a cyclist on the elbow had no idea how closely he had overtaken the rider in the latest video featured in our (not so) Near Miss of the Day series.

The cyclist on the receiving end of the incident on Maidstone Road, Rochester was road.cc reader Tom, who told us: “I had a close enough pass with a driver twatting my elbow on Monday. Otherwise, a nice ride.

“I haven't reported it to the police because rightly so, he hit me, but he stopped and apologised.

“I feel like I shit him up a bit and that could have been all he needed,” Tom 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 (link is external)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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21 comments

Avatar
Aginoth | 3 years ago
2 likes

Has to be reported.  It's an RTC and the driver is legally bound to report it, if he doesn't then he should be prosecuted for leaving the scene of an accident.

The fact he hit the cyclist ups it from a near-miss/without due care case to an RTC/dangerous driving issue.

With this driver's sort of laissez-faire attitude to road safety, they have to be prosecuted, doing so may protect the next cyclist he clips; it only takes a clip to send you off your bike leading to serious and occasionally fatal injuries.

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Projectcyclingf... | 3 years ago
2 likes

Needs reporting as you have NO idea how often he drives in that dangerous manor when he comes across cyclists.
His *apology does NOT guarantee at all that cyclists will now be 'SAFE' around him - *and it may be due to the fact that he spotted your cycle camera/s only after HITTING you and became afraid of being reported and that he may have a record or worse, banned.
The terror you felt and risk to your life is evident.
>So DO report this driver who is in desparate need of education on road safety and responsibilities that may help save vulnerable groups from harm from this menance and don't let it go unabated, that it often is.

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swldxer | 3 years ago
1 like

These door mirrors can be dangerous - wing mirrors of the 1960's less so.

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VIPcyclist | 3 years ago
12 likes

This you're a witness line is purely a tactic to stop a 'witness', read victim, from reporting a crime. As an analogy when I was about 13 I was walking through the local park, Cliffe Castle in Keighley, and a man, about 30, started masturbating in front of me. Now this man didn't say anything to me and I went on my way, quite shocked and frightened etc. But according to the exact same logic applied to close passes I was only a witness to bad behaviour ; I'm sure we all know that I was a victim of a pervert in the park really, just as someone who has experienced a close pass is the terrified victim of bad, sometimes malicious, driving.

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TheBillder replied to VIPcyclist | 3 years ago
0 likes

Perhaps this is the question to ask when police think you're "just a witness" - would you take the same line with a complaint of exposure?

This is not to equate close-passing with that crime, by the way, but to call out the lack of logic in some forces' procedures.

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markieteeee replied to VIPcyclist | 3 years ago
0 likes

Related is that schools now regard children who are not abused themselves, but witness abuse or live in households where there is the abuse of a parent, carer or sibling, as victims. This change makes responsibilities regarding safeguarding so much clearer. 

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ChrisB200SX | 3 years ago
13 likes

Needs to be reported to Police. Driver is obliged to do so.
Pure luck that this didn't knock the cyclist off or under the wheels, etc. Another day or a different cyclist and this could have been a fatality. That's why it needs to be reported!
Close passes are bad enough... but when you actually hit the cyclist then you definitely need to lose your licence.

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jmcc500 replied to ChrisB200SX | 3 years ago
3 likes

Out of interest, I have read that police are not obliged to respond to close pass reports etc as you are a witness rather than a victim, so if you or I reported this driver, with this video attached, as a witness (albeit remote!), would it be treated the as if the chap who recorded the video had submitted it?

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Secret_squirrel replied to jmcc500 | 3 years ago
6 likes

Thats the police's view when they cant be arsed to do anything about it.  Not 100% sure thats a strict legal intepretation as it hasnt been tested in court afaik.

 

I would suggest thats evidence of careless driving or possibly assault.

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ktache replied to jmcc500 | 3 years ago
7 likes

Not a close pass this one, the driver hit the victim with the car.

Contact was made, that makes the cyclist a lot more than a witness with this one...

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IanMK | 3 years ago
6 likes

Surely the evidence from this type of post is that many drivers do know know the HC and/or understand their obligations. I am at a loss to understand why the Police (and others) do not spend far more money in educating them? You'd think that prevention is far better than the cost of sorting out accidents etc... and would free the police up to tackle "real crime".

The conclusion you have to come to is that nobody actually gives a shit about road safety. When any police official suggests that they are there to protect the public I just laugh.

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alexuk | 3 years ago
0 likes

Twatted! 

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chineseJohn | 3 years ago
6 likes

Ouch, even heard the knock. Way too close and could have knocked the cyclist off the bike
I use arm outstretched to change lanes the number of cars that almost hit my hand (I have to quicklly retract) is high as they don't want to get struck behind you

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GMBasix | 3 years ago
9 likes

Some 'soggy lettuce' responses from the driver, there.  Contectually inappropriate responses, such as "Oh, OK, thank you" to "there wasn't an opportunity" - it's not contrition, it's just conflict avoidance.  This isn't an apologetic driver, it's just somebody who wants to be somewhere else.

Like EK Spinner says, I'd be further out on this road - it's too narrow to be overtaken a lot of the time:  certainly at the central refuges, and also passing parked cars (afterwards) to keep out of the door zone.

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Muddy Ford | 3 years ago
16 likes

Needs to be reported. We need it to be law that not overtaking with the minimum safe distance of 1.5m is punishable with points and a fine, and to be as clear cut as speeding. Get caught, get fined. Police would then be obligated to follow up on all video evidence that is uploaded, just as they are required to do so for speed camera evidence. 

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Bungle_52 replied to Muddy Ford | 3 years ago
4 likes

I think this is already the case in Ireland.

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Hirsute | 3 years ago
4 likes

Not overly keen on the post rapid acceleration on the pavement with a pedestrian near !

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EK Spinner | 3 years ago
14 likes

This is not a "near miss"​ it is a collision

it is a classic case of why rule 213 is in the HC

"Motorcyclists and cyclists may suddenly need to avoid uneven road surfaces and obstacles such as drain covers or oily, wet or icy patches on the road. Give them plenty of room and pay particular attention to any sudden change of direction they may have to make"

In this instance may have been helped by riding further out as it does sound like he saw you, but then the next idiot gives you abuse for your position. however I think it should have been reported

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Velophaart_95 replied to EK Spinner | 3 years ago
4 likes

Exactly! Sadly,  how many people have actually read the HC since learning/passing the test? I'd suggest very few......so most have no idea what they can/ can't do.

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brooksby replied to EK Spinner | 3 years ago
6 likes

Happens all the time, doesn't it?

Riding along, see a drain cover or something ahead and have to brake instead of moving out because you know that the motorist three feet from your back wheel isn't going to see it and give room...

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fwhite181 | 3 years ago
18 likes

There is absolutely no way I would have been that calm after that. Kudos, and I hope you submit the video to the police - the apology is irrelevant, this kind of thing needs to be officially recorded!

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