- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
Near Miss of the Day 883: Lorry driver shoves cyclist off the road, but police cannot do anything as the truck is registered in the Netherlands
Close passes made by a driver behind the wheel of any vehicle can be frightening, but ones made by drivers of lorries are particularly noticeable because of the large size and wheelbase. The driver of this lorry decided to pass so fast and so close to the cyclist that she was forced off the road, however having the truck registered in a different country turned out to be a cheat code as the police "couldn't do anything".
Holly was riding her bike on the A388 in Hatt, just a few miles north-west of Plymouth when she passed by the driver in the articulated lorry. The driver even uses a little horn right when they are passing the cyclist, making the already risky close-pass even more frightening.
Despite dangerously wobbling, she managed to steady herself, but not before having been completely forced off the white line marking the road. She told road.cc that she was travelling at approximately 20mph, the visibility was good and she was also wearing hi-vis clothing.
She went on to report the incident on the same day that it happened, including the name of the haulier firm, the company's email address, and also its physical address in the Netherlands.
After a couple of weeks, she received a call from the police force, but it turned out to be regarding a different close pass case. In the call, she brought up the issue, mentioning that no action had been taken so far on the lorry driver's close pass, to which they replied that they would contact the company and try to "clearly see who the vehicle belonged to".
She was later informed that the police would be unable to do anything as the truck was registered in the Netherlands. She said: "It blows my mind that foreign drivers can risk people's lives and have no repercussions.
"I ended up contacting the company myself and apparently they have 'spoken to the driver'."
> 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 Twitter or 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
Adwitiya joined road.cc in 2023 as a news writer after graduating with a masters in journalism from Cardiff University. His dissertation focused on active travel, which soon threw him into the deep end of covering everything related to the two-wheeled tool, and now cycling is as big a part of his life as guitars and football. He has previously covered local and national politics for Voice Wales, and also likes to writes about science, tech and the environment, if he can find the time. Living right next to the Taff trail in the Welsh capital, you can find him trying to tackle the brutal climbs in the valleys.
Latest Comments
- Bungle_52 1 sec ago
Has any one else noticed a significant deterioration in the standard of driving around cyclists in the last couple of days, or is it just me?
- David9694 30 min 23 sec ago
I think he's a good example of why the parkcos have become so widespread among landowners operating car parks. I don't much care for the way in...
- richliv 40 min 32 sec ago
I thought I would read that DT article before commenting. It wasn't as rabid as expected and apart from the obvious inaccuracies on KOM speeds ...
- mattw 6 hours 12 min ago
I think, along with others judging by the comments, that the cycling group have the wrong end of this - in that the travel conditions are similat...
- john_smith 6 hours 46 min ago
Actually, yes. Hundreds of thousands.
- chrisonabike 8 hours 33 min ago
Meanwhile, in the Netherlands......
- andystow 13 hours 54 min ago
I quite like the look of the tee, it would make it really hard to tell whether or not I had just come from a paintball fight.
- Simon E 13 hours 56 min ago
I fail to see why that is any more valid. The markets are not comparable, my point was about how some brands can sell overpriced, inferior products...
- DoomeFrog 14 hours 39 min ago
The Best Overall are, by definition, also the best under £100?
Add new comment
74 comments
Pathetic nonsense from our finest. Inept and lazy spring to mind.
Unfortunately not, in many EU countries the car owner is held responsible, in the UK the driver is responsible and the overseas vehicle owner can't be forced to disclose the driver details. Hence, fines can only be enforced if the driver is stopped by the police not if they are caught on camera. This includes speed cameras etc. Having said all that I thought that sorting this inconsistency was one of the sunny uplands of Brexit, but guess what?
Stop it at the port until satisfactory information is produced.
Brexit kiboshed information sharing of driver records between the UK and EU.
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/01/13/speeding-british-drivers-eva...
No - I think it's a difference in UK policy on who is fined.
The Daily Mail was whining in 2019 about UK drivers fined on the continent, and the reverse not happening.
https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/cars/article-7361213/UK-authorities-...
Its because UK officals were acting like a$$hats. They wanted to clone databases and leach info from the EU for free without reciprocating back. Typical British false sense of specialness & superiority.
It was the same prior to brexit. The UK has always done fk all about identifying foreign drivers. Its just too much trouble for our lazy authorities.
That's correct, and there is no reason why the owner could not be jointly liable - they choose to let the perp drive the vehicle.
In the UK we do punish owners for failing to reveal the identity of the driver - that is what the athlete Bianca Williams did, and got herself a driving ban.
I see no reason why that can't be extended to owners abroad.
Current enforcement policies are a political decision.
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-67613292
She now has 29 points on her license. I would say a permanenet ban is justifed. Criminal driver FFS.
But IIUC they can do so voluntarily if you ask nicely. I imagine many private owners wouldn't do this but larger companies may do so. I don't know if the police ever try.
To hopefully head off comments, this disclouse would be allowed under GDPR (legitimate interest) and can go from the EU to the UK due to the adequacy decision. Though I don't know if the NL has further restrictions.
NL does not provide driver or vehicle info of any kind to the UK because the UK often do not provide same info in kind. Thanks Brexit.
I drive a NL car in London occasionally and I can ignore all the ULEZ, the congestion charging, speed cams and parking fines all I like. No letters, no contact, nothing.
Why do i not pay them? Its impossible to pay for CC and ULEZ etc (my car is compliant anyway). The website just will not process a foreign number plate. COmputer says no. So I gave up. Same with the Dartmouth crossing toll.
I didn't mean from governmental sources. The victim has managed to speak directly with the company involved. It seems unlikely the police couldn't have managed the same.
Thats not how they work! That would take detective work. Not a police trait really these days. Also they have no jurisdiction in the Netherlands. None.
And... no goverment agency or council or any other official body in the UK is allowed to make international calls. Generally.
I'm pretty sure that local laws apply even to foreigners, so the vehicle owner could be asked to name the driver and be fined for not doing so, like it is for UK registered vehicles. But its just easier to do fk all.
Pages