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Near Miss of the Day 572: West Midlands Police take swift action against close pass driver

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

As you may well know, it was West Midlands Police that first developed the initiative targeting drivers who overtake cyclists without giving sufficient room, and subsequently adopted by police forces across the UK - so much so that this week even saw a national Close Pass Day, with operations taking place across the country.

Today's offering in our Near Miss of the Day series also highlights that the force aren't slow to act on footage submitted by cyclists of drivers making close passes, with road.cc user Sevenfold, who sent it to West Midlands Police through their Nextbase portal only last Sunday, telling us that the motorist who overtook him in Sutton Coldfield has been sent on an "educational course."

Let's hope the driver learns from it, and we have one less motorist in future who doesn't leave enough room when passing someone on a bike.

> 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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19 comments

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NewBob | 3 years ago
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has anybody been into a City Centre recently and seen all of the Children out on the age restricted E-Scooters and the Delivery Bikes and any others separately forcing evasive action more and more regularly. And seen Drivers adapting to it so there's few injuries, yet the level of risk taken by some changes a mindset in Suburban areas? Driving is still driving, and a collision is still a collision, and as far as I know it if there is no injuries the Police aren't interested, in that there's no legal requirement from them. I try to keep away from Roads regardless. Cyclists can have foresight too. Motorbikes take a good, central position to prevent Vehicles squeezing, every space will be filled as it becomes congested.

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VIPcyclist | 3 years ago
4 likes

I like the idea of an educational course. Not only does the driver have to pay to attend but they have to give up their time. That's the real kicker.

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AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
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Question for the OP: How were you told this? I have submitted multiple videos over the years and sent in two a few days before yours which included a close pass less then a mile from yours (Walsall road by four oaks gate) and a car overtaking me as we both turned left into a junction and have heard nothing. I even chased up the other year and was told by Stuart Baker( I think was his name) that they didn't have the staff to chase up info for people submitting these. I did see a stat from a newspaper that WMP do receive the lions share next base portal submissions (8k of 20k submitted since 2018) and about 4K a year. Unfortunately the reporter didn't ask how many had been processed with NIPs etc.

 

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Sevenfold replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
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AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Question for the OP: How were you told this? I have submitted multiple videos over the years and sent in two a few days before yours which included a close pass less then a mile from yours (Walsall road by four oaks gate) and a car overtaking me as we both turned left into a junction and have heard nothing. I even chased up the other year and was told by Stuart Baker( I think was his name) that they didn't have the staff to chase up info for people submitting these. I did see a stat from a newspaper that WMP do receive the lions share next base portal submissions (8k of 20k submitted since 2018) and about 4K a year. Unfortunately the reporter didn't ask how many had been processed with NIPs etc.

I originally sent this to a WM Police email address I had previously used to correspond with an officer who dealt with my case when I was knocked off my bike back in 2016. i've used it on & off since but infrequently. This was my first submission for over a year, emailed it in & was asked to resubmit via the Nextbase portal. I did but went back with the reference number & asked for their opinion. Immediate response back saying they were going to send the driver on an 'education course'. I've submitted previously via Nextbase & whilst its an easy process, the lack of feedback did not provide any confirmation that the submissions were not going into a 'black hole'. At least it does look like WM Police do action them.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Sevenfold | 3 years ago
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Thanks for the info. I suppose I should have kept the email details of the officer when I was knocked off in 2017. surprising on the ref numbers though as they were from next base and wmp didn't comment on them being numbers they used. 

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Richard D replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
1 like

My previous interactions (plural) with Stuart Baker has lead me to the conclusion that he is a moron.

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Richard D replied to Richard D | 3 years ago
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and FWIW the officers last time insisted that (1) they couldn't investigate let alone prosecute for careless driving unless there had been a collision, and (2) that was despite the video soundtrack clearly evidencing that there HAD been such a collision.  It's footage that has previously been used here on "near miss of the day" with several people able to point out that the evidence was clearly of a collision and not a near miss.  
Not sure that the road traffic policing unit is staffed by the Force's finest TBH.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Richard D | 3 years ago
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This link is to an article about the amount of submissions (which are also by motor vehicles as well as cyclists). It is dated Jan2021 although I'm pretty sure most of the quotes are from a press release in October. At least this reporter followed up and it seems West Mercia followed up on 90% of cases but the line from the egress rep is troubling to me as only 52% of all cases had some followup. So maybe some FOI from Road.cc / Cycling UK / whoever to find out submission vehicles, actions followed up on broken down by Police Force and then maybe requests for comment might be a good story.

Also, this is a Car websites take on the news. Not sure on thje discrepency of 52% of all submissions were actioned on then being less then 1in five not actioned on. However the comments show some of the worrying  conditions we know from Drivers. 

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Richard D | 3 years ago
1 like

I know that road well.  In the opposite direction, there are some truly horrific ruts and potholes.  The biggest surprise in the video was that the car was able to overtake; I gave up driving into Sutton a few years ago, as I can always do the same journey faster by bike thanks to the ever-present traffic jam that usually starts about 200m from the point of that overtake.  Still, being stuck behind another car for 15 minutes neve stopped the average impatient motorist from trying to dive in front of a cyclist.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Richard D | 3 years ago
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Just added the same about the state of the road elsewhere. When I saw the recent road closure signs I expected more then the one square and the island, especially as they have now done the main high street by the college. 

At 1400, the traffic wouldn't be there though apart for the last 20 metres by the lights where the cyclist probably still would have caught up with the car again.

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Sevenfold replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
1 like

AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

Just added the same about the state of the road elsewhere. When I saw the recent road closure signs I expected more then the one square and the island, especially as they have now done the main high street by the college. 

At 1400, the traffic wouldn't be there though apart for the last 20 metres by the lights where the cyclist probably still would have caught up with the car again.

Correct. I did catch up with him at the lights, pointed out the camera & said it was all on video. 

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Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

Psychedelic at the end.

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brooksby | 3 years ago
5 likes

Clearly the driver's train of thought went something like:

  1. "I've been good;
  2. I haven't pushed through but have waited like a responsible person;
  3. oh christ, look at the time!;
  4. this is ridiculous, I have places to be!
  5. F**k it, I'm going to go for it..."
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sensei replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
6 likes

brooksby wrote:

Clearly the driver's train of thought went something like:

  1. "I've been good;
  2. I haven't pushed through but have waited like a responsible person;
  3. oh christ, look at the time!;
  4. this is ridiculous, I have places to be!
  5. F**k it, I'm going to go for it..."

I would say it's definitely down to lack of education, evidenced by the fact they didn't ever attempt to overtake in the oncoming lane, which means they could have arguably overtaken the cyclist sooner.

 

It doesn't look maliscious, it's just one of a significant number of drivers that don't know any better despite it being their responsibility to when operating a potential killing machine!

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ktache replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
5 likes

It was almost as though the driver waited for oncoming traffic...

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to brooksby | 3 years ago
3 likes

That road is awful as a cyclist with plenty of broken surfaces and small potholes that have been there for years. They resurfaced the island and one section as shown on the video (right on the close pass) yet 20 yards further on in the other lane and a cyclist has to do a slalom to avoid the worst of the it across the whole lane and also to avoid the gravel build up where the broken bits end up near the kerb. 

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Sevenfold replied to AlsoSomniloquism | 3 years ago
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AlsoSomniloquism wrote:

That road is awful as a cyclist with plenty of broken surfaces and small potholes that have been there for years. They resurfaced the island and one section as shown on the video (right on the close pass) yet 20 yards further on in the other lane and a cyclist has to do a slalom to avoid the worst of the it across the whole lane and also to avoid the gravel build up where the broken bits end up near the kerb. 

Yes, Lichfield Road is dreadful both ways. It was going to be resurfaced back in early March, signs went up saying 'no parking, road being repaired overnight etc.' then all the signs disappeared...

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Richard D replied to Sevenfold | 3 years ago
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Sounds like there are at least three of us here who are very local, and probably either know one another or have at least nodded at one another as we pass by.

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AlsoSomniloquism replied to Richard D | 3 years ago
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Yep, I  do 13, 16, or 20 mile loops most days containing the back end of Sutton along that road in one way or the other depending on time.

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