Near Miss of the Day 709: Driver advised to read Highway Code...but no further action for traffic island close pass

wtjs wrote:

John was told the driver had been "very apologetic" and "would be investing in a copy of the Highway Code"

Hopefully the police advised the motorist to wait until April before forking out for a copy in the shops, given that's when the new version hits them, and to consult the online edition in the meantime? No?

hirsute wrote:

Thansk to sriracha and hp, I now use one of those small endbar mirrors. Handy for this situation to check behind and adjust position to deter drivers.

From the looks of it the rider did adjust their position on the approach to the island and it did nothing to deter the driver.  Some people, like beetlejuice, will see the moving into primary position as the cyclist being deliberately confrontational, because they expect the cyclist to let them through no matter what.

I've been in a similar situation where a driver attempted a move like that ..... which they misjudged badly, thankfully they chose to hit the traffic island and not me.  I was however subject to a barrage of abuse when they stopped in a bus stop 100m further down the road with a flat tyre and possibly a broken wheel.

TriTaxMan wrote:

I've been in a similar situation where a driver attempted a move like that ..... which they misjudged badly, thankfully they chose to hit the traffic island and not me.  I was however subject to a barrage of abuse when they stopped in a bus stop 100m further down the road with a flat tyre and possibly a broken wheel.

Sorry, but I would have loved to have seen that!  

I wasn't aiming to criticise the cyclist. I get fewer surprises now I can quickly glance down.

Here's my one from last year. They braked in the end rather than hit me or the street furniture !

Had similar indicating and approaching a right hand turn off in Carrickfergus, with a central refuge just before the junction. There seems to be a special kind of boy racer attitude that's very prevalent in Northern Ireland, resulting in a very close pass on my left hand side, right at the pinch point. The satisfying crunch of alloy wheel against kerbstone was just what I needed to boost my resolve before dragging myself up the Woodburn Road. 

In a split group of 5 emerging from a side road, I tried the primary position block to stop an aggressive van overtaking into oncoming traffic - it didn't work, and the driver then gave the two in front about a foot with no oncoming traffic.

Basically, the 1 in a hundred driver is coming through regardless, and if you get in their way, their mentality is that it is your fault.

TriTaxMan wrote:

I've been in a similar situation where a driver attempted a move like that ..... which they misjudged badly, thankfully they chose to hit the traffic island and not me.  I was however subject to a barrage of abuse when they stopped in a bus stop 100m further down the road with a flat tyre and possibly a broken wheel.

Oh dear, what a shame, never mind eh.

TriTaxMan wrote:

I've been in a similar situation where a driver attempted a move like that ..... which they misjudged badly, thankfully they chose to hit the traffic island and not me.  I was however subject to a barrage of abuse when they stopped in a bus stop 100m further down the road with a flat tyre and possibly a broken wheel.

Haven't logged in for ages, but saw this and was reminded of a similar event.

I was close passed at a junction by a driver who then turned right straight into a traffic island. After checking they were okay (yes, no concussion), that their car would move to the side of the road (yes, despite a crumpled front end), and a reminder to look at the world around them, not their phone, I went on my way.