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(Not so) Near Miss of the Day 828: Driver hits cyclist at speed, leaving door mirror behind

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

Now and again in our Near Miss of the Day series, we feature a video that doesn’t quite fit that description, because rather than a close pass, the motorist actually hits the bike rider with their vehicle … and that’s we have in this latest video, with the van driver involved smacking into a cyclist taking part in a time trial with such force that the vehicle’s door mirror broke off and was left on the road.

Several drivers gave road.cc reader Ooblyboo plenty of space before the van driver came up from behind and hit him, leaving him bruised but thankfully nothing worse.

“It was on 8 May,” Ooblyboo told us. “I was racing in a VTTA 10-mile time trial on the F11/10 course near Tring on the A41. It was a Sunday morning, about 9.30am – traffic was light and conditions were good. Overcast, no low light, warm and dry.

“I got one hell of a thump – the whole wing mirror came off. If you look closely in the video you can see bits of it bouncing down the road. I just heard a very loud bang and suddenly I was covered in bits of glass and plastic and I felt a sharp pain in my backside.

“I didn't initially know what had happened to me but quickly realised I had been struck by the van’s wing mirror at what must have been at least 60mph.

“The driver just carried on and after I briefly checked myself over I decided to continue the race as it was the only way I knew how to get back to HQ (I don't live in the area) and I didn't want to stop on the dual carriageway. I had heavy bruising but didn't require hospital.

“I reported it to the organiser who produced a thorough report for CTT [Cycling Time Trials] and were very helpful.

“I also reported it to police who took some time to investigate but I am pleased that they did follow through with the investigation and eventually I was informed that the driver was found guilty at court of three offences – driving without due care and attention, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and failing to report an accident.

“They didn't initially tell me what the penalty was but after some back and forth they eventually told me that the driver received points and a fine. I don't know how many/how much.

“I don't know what the driver was doing but watching the video, it appears to me that they must have been distracted by something – we will never know,” Ooblyboo continued.

“As far as my feelings on this: I was incredibly fortunate that the mirror struck only my body and not the bike. A couple of centimetres further to the left and I might not be around to tell the tale.

“It shows how vulnerable we as cyclists are on the road and it also shows why it is crucially important that drivers remain focused and in full control of their vehicle at all times. Sadly the standard of driving in this country seems to be falling. I haven't ridden an open-road TT since.”

Ooblyboo added: “As per the rules of the event, I had a flashing front and rear light and helmet, and I had only put the Cycliq Fly 6 on the bike on a whim, having only bought it about two weeks beforehand! They are well worth having.”

> 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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78 comments

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Inthedark1 | 1 year ago
6 likes

I have just rung the stairlift company in High Wycombe that employed this driver to ask whether he is still employed by them. He is not. They said this was as a direct result of the crash. I said that was the correct decision because this was a very serious crash and could easily have killed the cyclist. The driver would definitely have been aware of what he had done. There would have been marshall's wearing high vis and signs warning of cyclists. The road was quiet and straight, the cyclist had lights. The driver made no attempt to move into the outside lane and was clearly not looking where he and his two ton weapon were going.

I had my right hip and left ankle smashed (lots of bits) by a delivery van last year. The driver got 5 points, £160 fine and some minimal court costs. He was given extra training by his supermarket employers.

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Grahamd replied to Inthedark1 | 1 year ago
0 likes

Thanks for sharing hope you're making a full recovery.

I applaud you contacting the company, makes me wonder where the HSE are with such matters. Perhaps if companies fleets were grounded for a week whilst proper investigations took place then employers would take more responsibility.

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ooblyboo replied to Inthedark1 | 1 year ago
0 likes

Thanks for sharing - this wasn't something I knew.

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M444TTB | 1 year ago
3 likes

I was in this race. I've ridden this course a couple of times plus another couple of DC courses on the A419/A417 a few times too. I've always felt relatively safe for the reasons already noted. All have been at quiet times and are well sighted. On the flip side the U44 course, which is a country A road to Cirencester (confusingly the A417 before it takes over the DC!) that runs kinda parallel to the A419 has been hell numerous times. Lots of very aggro drivers pushing past in places dangerous to riders and other motorists.

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ooblyboo replied to M444TTB | 1 year ago
3 likes

I rode it the before while I was still of the opinion that I preferred DC courses and it felt absolutely fine. Unfortunately, when a driver isn't concentrating, it doesn't matter how 'safe' the course is.

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Rik Mayals unde... | 1 year ago
5 likes

I can hazard a guess. The driver was fucking about on their phone. 

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kil0ran | 1 year ago
6 likes

Very lucky. A former work colleague of mine was killed after being struck by a door mirror at a much lower speed. Direct hit to helmet.

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HoarseMann | 1 year ago
8 likes

That's poor feedback from the police. You are entitled, under the victim's charter, to be told of the exact outcome. You should have had an opportunity to submit a victim impact statement to the court and attend the hearing if you wished to do so (even if not called as a witness).

I think this footage should also be used by the police in an awareness campaign if you would permit it. There have been several instances of cyclists being hit by vehicles on this type of road; most with tragic outcomes. This footage demonstrates it's a massive lack of attention on the driver's part that causes such collisions. You were clearly visible to all who were looking.

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brooksby replied to HoarseMann | 1 year ago
7 likes

Maybe the police thought that they were just a witness...

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chrisonabike replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
0 likes

nosurprise

Remind me again why this isn't just a way to save police doing work?  (That could be a good thing of course but since it's not the case for other types of crime involving injury or fear / trauma it really smacks of "crimes involving cyclists are on a lower tier / don't really matter much, but we vaguely pretend that's not the case")

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wtjs replied to chrisonabike | 1 year ago
0 likes

Remind me again why this isn't just a way to save police doing work?

No, the police don't need any help in not doing work, as they're already pastmasters. Check both vehicles at Garstang MOT, Insurance and Tax Evasion HQ, at the Old Garstang Police Station. The BMW was first reported over 5 months ago- this house is passed by most police vehicles going to New Garstang Police Station  half a mile away, and the vehicles are often parked outside on the road because of the narrow but deep frontage which has to accommodate up to 4 vehicles, coming and going.

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IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
2 likes

More generally, the trunk road problem many cyclists have is that it is not possible to go any significant distance without having to traverse them.

For example the A46 runs east west across Warwickshire and Worcestershire. Near Warwick it is fast dual carriageway and definitely a no go, and even the junctions are not accessible.

Near Stratford (say Snitterfield) there are crossing points but you need to ride several hundred metres along the A46 to hop between turnings either side. Interestingly they just introduced a cycling specific junction at one end of a road that emerges onto the A46, but provide no means of protection on a fast trunk road.

The saving grace is a wide edge marking which gives enough space for an unofficial cycle lane, and wide lanes with drivers who generally use that to give space.

A46
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QgRx9ze6RWHgbhCVA

That road to the right is explicitly engineered for cyclists yet no provision at this end.

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chrisonabike replied to IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
3 likes

Amen brother.  One of the hidden costs / unmentioned consequences of our long-distance high-speed transport systems (including rail also) is that we've not just cut through communities and severed access.  We've made it extra inconvenient to get a short distance to some places *unless* you've got a high-speed box.  "Just take the A1 and turn off after a mile."  Or walk / cycle along a noisy traffic artery - if there is a thin crumbling line of tarmac to use, often littered with bits of vehicles.  But maybe there is an alternative?  A "quiet route" (requires travel on a windy B-road with fast cars and poor sight lines) which only takes 6 miles and a 50 meter climb...

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brooksby replied to chrisonabike | 1 year ago
4 likes

Wasn't that one of the (many) criticisms of HS2?

That they had originally said they'd put access tunnels under it or bridges over it, to allow cyclists and local traffic to get across the line, but then they discovered that it would add a cost that they couldn't claw back in extra fees so decided to forget about it.  Meaning that all those local A roads and B roads would simply run up against chainlink fence and stop, with a twenty mile diversion to the next crossing point for a major A road...

(Of course, at the rate they're going, they'll be lucky if HS2 makes it as far as the M25...).

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vthejk replied to IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
1 like

I know Exactly the bit you mean. I've frequently ended up on it from the Southwest side, usually to turn back on myself or ride back up past Charlecote or Moreton Morrell to get up North, instead of risking it. The incongruity of it is also that, on either side of the A46, there are perfectly lovely and quiet lanes that are easy to traverse by bike but, as you say, impossible to access without crossing the A-road.

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IanMSpencer replied to vthejk | 1 year ago
1 like

There is one crossing just west of Snitterfield that has a bridge across the road. However, to get to that bit from the south say, you ride through Hatton Rock and have to go down the A439, which paradoxically although just an A road rather than a major trunk route, is worse to cycle along as the narrow road puts you in conflict as you ride the half mile to the next country lane, so using the bridge is no safer. The reverse leaves you grinding up a steep hill to a right turn with imaptient cars wanting to pass.

That being said, with patience, once you have crossed the traffic, cycling down the edge seems to be about as safe as you can get in either direction.

Also I lied about the cycling infrastructure. Turn that Goole Maps link round and you will see what is apparently a shared path which is actually just a re-marked and overgrown unused pavement - had the odd nettling along it. Someway up the road there is an odd warning sign warning of pedestrians crossing but no other obvious infrastructure. Keep going up the road and after several hundred metres, you will see the cycle lane ends at an unmarked crossing point which crosses to a nearly hidden gap in the hedge marked with a rusty pole (I kid you not - TBF the cycle lane marker has fallen off) where you can cut through to an old lane that then joins up to Park Lane. Saner cyclists would simply cycle further on the main road and use the right turn area marked in the centre.

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brooksby | 1 year ago
6 likes

So are we going with "making an important business phone call", "social media", or "Netflix (other streaming services are available"...?

Ooblyboo was VERY lucky.

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IanMSpencer replied to brooksby | 1 year ago
7 likes

I reckon 80% of van drivers regularly interact with their phones.

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Awavey replied to IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
7 likes

Well funny you mention it but Suffolk police just completed a week long campaign on the A14,A12 and A11 stopped 216 HGVs and vans, issued 213 TORs for 120 not wearing seatbelt, 41 using mobile phone, 33 roadworthiness, 25 insecure load,13 careless driving, 4 speeding and 4 no insurance. Along with seven arrests, 6 for drug driving & one driving whilst disqualified + possession of cannabis.

"Professional" drivers.

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chrisonabike replied to Awavey | 1 year ago
3 likes

More of this, police!

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janusz0 replied to Awavey | 1 year ago
2 likes

Awavey wrote:

Well funny you mention it but Suffolk police just completed a week long campaign on the A14,A12 and A11 .....

So the rest of the drivers know that they're safe to carry on regardless for maybe another year?

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Patrick9-32 | 1 year ago
8 likes

Perhaps harsh penalties, for instance, mandatory gaol time for those who leave the scene of an accident and permenant loss of license without possibility of retest for those who are convicted of careless or dangerous driving would make people understand the responsibility of controlling over a ton of steel at speeds human evolution has not prepared us for?

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hawkinspeter replied to Patrick9-32 | 1 year ago
8 likes

Patrick9-32 wrote:

Perhaps harsh penalties, for instance, mandatory gaol time for those who leave the scene of an accident and permenant loss of license without possibility of retest for those who are convicted of careless or dangerous driving would make people understand the responsibility of controlling over a ton of steel at speeds human evolution has not prepared us for?

Absolutely.

Currently, there's a perverse incentive to leave the scene of a collision if a driver has any alcohol or drugs in their system or believes that there'll be no evidence to link them to it. The only exception should be for those oblivious drivers who don't even know that they've hit someone/something and they should face an immediate and permanent driving ban for the sake of the public.

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qwerty360 replied to hawkinspeter | 1 year ago
3 likes

Would argue 'obliviousness' should be almost exclusively limited to HGV's.

I can accept that a 44 Ton HGV isn't going to respond much to hitting 80kg and its response may depend on load.

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hawkinspeter replied to qwerty360 | 1 year ago
2 likes

qwerty360 wrote:

Would argue 'obliviousness' should be almost exclusively limited to HGV's.

I can accept that a 44 Ton HGV isn't going to respond much to hitting 80kg and its response may depend on load.

That's a good point, though I was thinking of some half-blind pensioner with their hearing aid turned off. There's no point sending someone to prison just for being incompetent if we can ensure that they never have the chance to cause any further hurt.

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IanMSpencer replied to Patrick9-32 | 1 year ago
7 likes

Given the strike seriously damaged their car they cannot have been unaware of the collision, and they must have had an inkling they had hit a cyclist. To not stop in such circumstances is quite callous.

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Hirsute replied to IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
4 likes

I thought it was a deer

 

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chrisonabike replied to Hirsute | 1 year ago
4 likes

Or sack of potatoes.  And I couldn't stop there anyway - it's a busy road with fast-moving vehicles...

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Patrick9-32 replied to IanMSpencer | 1 year ago
2 likes

Absolutely. If the penalty for this calousness was automatic prison sentences harsh enough to seriously fuck up your life nobody would drive away after this type of incident. The driver would absolutely know they had hit the cyclist here, unquestionably. Even if they were entirely deaf (deaf people can drive) they would have noticed the bump that would have been felt through the car and seen the missing wingmirror next time they looked over. There is literally no realistic excuse and points and a fine is laughable. 

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andystow replied to Patrick9-32 | 1 year ago
2 likes

Patrick9-32 wrote:

...and seen the missing [door] mirror next time they looked over. 

But that could be weeks later!

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