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Near Miss of the Day 653: Van driver brushes past cyclist on Peak District climb

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

A driver of a flatbed truck who attempted to overtake a cyclist on a climb, then had to swing back in due to an oncoming vehicle, brushing the cyclist’s arm as he did so, features in our Near Miss of the Day series today.

The incident happened on the Higher Lane climb out of Disley, Cheshire, in the Peak District National Park.

Jonathan, the road.cc reader who filmed the clip, said: “Actually a brush past rather than a near miss. On the Higher Lane climb out of Disley in the Peak District.

“He was in such a rush he decided to overtake me even though there was a parked van blocking the road and he couldn't see what was coming the other way.

“When he saw a car coming, he swung in and caught my sleeve,” he added.

“Maybe I need sideways cameras as well!”

> 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.

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13 comments

Avatar
Waleskun | 3 years ago
1 like

Only took 653 days before the road my house is on was on NMOT 🤦. Have to say standard of driving round the peaks has really gone down hill in the past 18 months. Used to be rare I'd have issues with driver's. Now it's multiple times a ride it seems.

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andystow | 3 years ago
8 likes

This is clearly the fault of the cyclist who was out irresponsibly riding in a group of one, possibly two if he was having a social chat with the cyclist several car lengths behind him.

Alternatively, it was the fault of the driver of the Subaru Forester, who I believe was on a non-essential journey to have a walk in a park then drive home, really not even a journey then.

Definitely not the fault of the white van driver who was out making an Important Journey™, most likely transporting an organ for transplant and not too worried if he generated a source of more transplantable organs on his way.

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wtjs replied to andystow | 3 years ago
1 like

most likely transporting an organ for transplant

That reminds me- I was very-close passed by a NW Ambulance trust ambulance on my way up to the Lakes. Presumably anxious to increase business.

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Steve K | 3 years ago
6 likes

Am I the only one thinking that if the cyclist had been in a group, then the close pass wouldn't have happened?  3

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Hirsute replied to Steve K | 3 years ago
6 likes

The cyclist was in a group, he just dropped his mate !

 

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HLaB | 3 years ago
1 like

I could be wrong but to me looking at the rear camera footage. The van driver overtook the first cyclist and started to swerve in when they saw the oncoming car. Only then did they realise there was another cyclist there and swerved back out a bit. Poor observation on their part which could have had major consequences  2

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OnYerBike | 3 years ago
2 likes

Looks to me like the van driver saw the oncoming car with plenty of time to abort the overtake and even considered doing so, but then decided to floor it and push through instead.

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lukei1 | 3 years ago
6 likes

Was this reported to the police? If not, why not? If yes, what was the outcome?

Annoying to see these videos without that context to be honest, especially when the cammer explicitly says it will be reported

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eburtthebike replied to lukei1 | 3 years ago
5 likes

Like you, I hope that was reported to the police and that they took action, and the driver has been banned, fined £1000 and had to do community service.

Just going out to feed the unicorns.

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GMBasix | 3 years ago
7 likes

Quote:

A driver of a flatbed truck who attempted to overtake a cyclist on a climb...

Looking for a flatbed truck...

Avatar
andystow replied to GMBasix | 3 years ago
0 likes

GMBasix wrote:

Quote:

A driver of a flatbed truck who attempted to overtake a cyclist on a climb...

Looking for a flatbed truck...

* enclosed flatbed... well, flat-ish.

Avatar
Jenova20 replied to andystow | 3 years ago
4 likes

andystow wrote:

GMBasix wrote:

Quote:

A driver of a flatbed truck who attempted to overtake a cyclist on a climb...

Looking for a flatbed truck...

* enclosed flatbed... well, flat-ish.

Dropside truck. Got it in before that "DOOR MIRROR!" guy says it...

Avatar
mdavidford replied to Jenova20 | 3 years ago
5 likes

Jenova20 wrote:

andystow wrote:

GMBasix wrote:

Quote:

A driver of a flatbed truck who attempted to overtake a cyclist on a climb...

Looking for a flatbed truck...

* enclosed flatbed... well, flat-ish.

Dropside truck. Got it in before that "DOOR MIRROR!" guy says it...

You forgot to say it IN CAPITALS though.

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