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Near Miss of the Day 12: Audi driver cuts off corner, forcing cyclist to brake

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Windsor

Any close pass is an unsettling experience for the cyclist on the receiving end, but the latest entry in our regular Near Miss of the Day feature is a particularly shocking one as an Audi driver overtakes at on a blind corner, cutting off the road in front of the rider, who was forced to brake to avoid a crash.

The incident took place within a stone's throw of Windsor Castle - part of which is visible directly ahead as the driver overtakes the cyclist, road.cc reader Conrad Dalziel, at the junction of Sheet Street and the Berkshire town's High Street.

In the description of the video on YouTube, where it was uploaded in September last year, Conrad says: "Audi driver decides to overtake on a blind corner and then cuts across the corner, leaving me nowhere to go.

"If I'd been any further forward we would have come together but I managed to get to the brakes in time."

The incident took place in the Thames Valley Police area, which operates its roads policing unit in partnership with Hampshire Constabulary, with the forces confirming earlier this year that they would be targeting drivers who make close passes on cyclists.

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 contact us via the road.cc Facebook page.

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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17 comments

Avatar
grumpyoldcyclist | 6 years ago
3 likes

Love the latest Audi advert, with the driver singing "if I only had a brain"

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
0 likes

Quote:

Agreed. Twice last week, on consecutive days, I witnessed drivers of audis performing incredibly dangerous manoeuvres. The first was an overtake of a hgv in front, on a blind bend at over 50mph.  Anyone coming the other way would have had no chance of avoiding a collision.  The second was an overtake of an hgv that they were tailgating very closely as the hgv passed me.  As soon as the hgv started moving back in, they passed, again clearly over the speed limit and just before a blind bend. Agreed. Twice last week, on consecutive days, I witnessed drivers of audis performing incredibly dangerous manoeuvres. The first was an overtake of a hgv in front, on a blind bend at over 50mph. Anyone coming the other way would have had no chance of avoiding a collision. The second was an overtake of an hgv that they were tailgating very closely as the hgv passed me. As soon as the hgv started moving back in, they passed, again clearly over the speed limit and just before a blind bend.

I drive around 25,000 miles per year and see bellends in all sorts of cars, all sorts of marques, vans, trucks, hgvs, taxis and buses.

Taxis are by far the worst, irrespective of marque.

Buses a close second and HGVs third. Beyond that it's nigh on impossible to select a marque that is any worse than another.

The selfish attitude I see on the road, I see reflected everywhere, and yes, that applies to cyclists too. As Boopop has correctly identified, I generally have a bit of fun in these threads, especially when the current trend is against a brand of motor that I drive.

Personally I give a wide berth to fluorescent jacket wearing cyclists as they seem to be the red socks of the biking world, charging around in their self righteous way. but hey! What do I know?

Avatar
markysd replied to don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
1 like

don simon wrote:

Quote:

Agreed. Twice last week, on consecutive days, I witnessed drivers of audis performing incredibly dangerous manoeuvres. The first was an overtake of a hgv in front, on a blind bend at over 50mph.  Anyone coming the other way would have had no chance of avoiding a collision.  The second was an overtake of an hgv that they were tailgating very closely as the hgv passed me.  As soon as the hgv started moving back in, they passed, again clearly over the speed limit and just before a blind bend. Agreed. Twice last week, on consecutive days, I witnessed drivers of audis performing incredibly dangerous manoeuvres. The first was an overtake of a hgv in front, on a blind bend at over 50mph. Anyone coming the other way would have had no chance of avoiding a collision. The second was an overtake of an hgv that they were tailgating very closely as the hgv passed me. As soon as the hgv started moving back in, they passed, again clearly over the speed limit and just before a blind bend.

I drive around 25,000 miles per year and see bellends in all sorts of cars, all sorts of marques, vans, trucks, hgvs, taxis and buses.

Taxis are by far the worst, irrespective of marque.

Buses a close second and HGVs third. Beyond that it's nigh on impossible to select a marque that is any worse than another.

The selfish attitude I see on the road, I see reflected everywhere, and yes, that applies to cyclists too. As Boopop has correctly identified, I generally have a bit of fun in these threads, especially when the current trend is against a brand of motor that I drive.

Personally I give a wide berth to fluorescent jacket wearing cyclists as they seem to be the red socks of the biking world, charging around in their self righteous way. but hey! What do I know?

 

You're correct, a bell end is a bell end regardless of how they get around.  

 

I guess everyone has a different list of perceived worst offenders based upon their own experiences.  

 

 

 

 

 

Avatar
Gus T replied to markysd | 6 years ago
0 likes

markysd wrote:

don simon wrote:

Quote:

Agreed. Twice last week, on consecutive days, I witnessed drivers of audis performing incredibly dangerous manoeuvres. The first was an overtake of a hgv in front, on a blind bend at over 50mph.  Anyone coming the other way would have had no chance of avoiding a collision.  The second was an overtake of an hgv that they were tailgating very closely as the hgv passed me.  As soon as the hgv started moving back in, they passed, again clearly over the speed limit and just before a blind bend. Agreed. Twice last week, on consecutive days, I witnessed drivers of audis performing incredibly dangerous manoeuvres. The first was an overtake of a hgv in front, on a blind bend at over 50mph. Anyone coming the other way would have had no chance of avoiding a collision. The second was an overtake of an hgv that they were tailgating very closely as the hgv passed me. As soon as the hgv started moving back in, they passed, again clearly over the speed limit and just before a blind bend.

I drive around 25,000 miles per year and see bellends in all sorts of cars, all sorts of marques, vans, trucks, hgvs, taxis and buses.

Taxis are by far the worst, irrespective of marque.

Buses a close second and HGVs third. Beyond that it's nigh on impossible to select a marque that is any worse than another.

The selfish attitude I see on the road, I see reflected everywhere, and yes, that applies to cyclists too. As Boopop has correctly identified, I generally have a bit of fun in these threads, especially when the current trend is against a brand of motor that I drive.

Personally I give a wide berth to fluorescent jacket wearing cyclists as they seem to be the red socks of the biking world, charging around in their self righteous way. but hey! What do I know?

 

You're correct, a bell end is a bell end regardless of how they get around.  

 

I guess everyone has a different list of perceived worst offenders based upon their own experiences.  "

 

From my experience it's usually people in MPV's with a "child onboard" sticker, apart from a black Audi A3 who regularly targets me so now I try to commute when I know my wife is at home and her Audi is on the drive;-)

 

 

 

 

 

Avatar
fenix | 6 years ago
3 likes

What a nobber. That looked intentional. Pity he didn't get his paintwork scratched in it.

Avatar
burtthebike | 6 years ago
4 likes

Disgraceful driving and the driver should be prosecuted, so have the police been informed?

For all those people criticising this series, perhaps they had forgotten that cyclists were always blamed in any collision because the authorities believed the drivers.  If nothing else, such articles show that dangerous driving near vulnerable road users is rife, and that it isn't the cyclists' fault.

Please keep showing them, in the hope that one day there won't be any more, because drivers have stopped driving dangerously.  I'll be the first one to cheer, but it won't be soon.

Avatar
jfparis | 6 years ago
1 like

A classic

Avatar
andyk2158 | 6 years ago
2 likes

I am not sure what these postings are achieving.  Cyclists already know about these, and guess what, I also see stupid driving when I am in a car.  This video is from nearly a year ago anyway, so what's the point?

 

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
1 like

I refuse to buy a GoPro simply to show that others marques are driven by twats too.

Avatar
Grahamd replied to don simon fbpe | 6 years ago
1 like

don simon wrote:

I refuse to buy a GoPro simply to show that others marques are driven by twats too.

Agree with you, I ride for my pleasure, not to collect videos of poor driving to put on the internet.

Avatar
Dnnnnnn replied to Grahamd | 6 years ago
0 likes

Grahamd wrote:

don simon wrote:

I refuse to buy a GoPro simply to show that others marques are driven by twats too.

Agree with you, I ride for my pleasure, not to collect videos of poor driving to put on the internet.

I'm thinking about giving up riding after seeing all these. 25 years on the road and I'd never realised...

Avatar
Boopop replied to Grahamd | 6 years ago
3 likes

Grahamd wrote:

don simon wrote:

I refuse to buy a GoPro simply to show that others marques are driven by twats too.

Agree with you, I ride for my pleasure, not to collect videos of poor driving to put on the internet.

I ride for pleasure. I record so I know there's a chance someone will believe my side of the story. If you're ever in an accident you'll know the value of hard evidence. But sure, you go ahead and belittle those that want some peace of mind.

Avatar
Grahamd replied to Boopop | 6 years ago
0 likes

Boopop wrote:

Grahamd wrote:

don simon wrote:

I refuse to buy a GoPro simply to show that others marques are driven by twats too.

Agree with you, I ride for my pleasure, not to collect videos of poor driving to put on the internet.

I ride for pleasure. I record so I know there's a chance someone will believe my side of the story. If you're ever in an accident you'll know the value of hard evidence. But sure, you go ahead and belittle those that want some peace of mind.

There was no intention to belittle anyone. The sharing of videos that show terrible driving may gain support for the cycling community, however videos where the driving is questionable are more likely to create the impression that cyclists are being over demanding and potentially reduce the support previously gained. 

I genuinely wish you the very best and hope you never have to rely on your "hard evidence", I had an accident courtesy of a taxi last year and a friend provided a video of it to the police, who did absolutely nothing! It's harder than you may think.

Avatar
Alessandro | 6 years ago
2 likes

What a bellend. 

Avatar
bendertherobot | 6 years ago
2 likes

Is this a limited series? Like the 12 days of Xmas or something?

Or will we be seeing near miss 377 this time next year?

Avatar
Alessandro replied to bendertherobot | 6 years ago
9 likes

bendertherobot wrote:

Is this a limited series? Like the 12 days of Xmas or something?

Or will we be seeing near miss 377 this time next year?

On the 142nd day of near-miss, my true love gave to meeeee, a fat city tosser in a white Bentleeeeey. 

Thank you. 

Avatar
Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
5 likes

I can make one of these for you tomorrow if you want, even got an Audi TT for more shock value. I'll get the wife to buzz past me and I'll wave my arms about and shout "fucking Nora" or something.

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