- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
Near Miss of the Day 716: "Just couldn't wait!" Driver almost hits oncoming motorist rushing overtake
Today's Near Miss of the Day comes from the West Midlands where an impatient driver just could not wait to overtake road.cc reader Simon, almost colliding with an oncoming motorist in the process.
Simon was cycling along Stoney Lane, in Alvechurch last Thursday between 2pm and 3pm, he told us he was roughly 0.75m away from the verge when the driver tailgated a van driver overtaking, narrowly avoiding a head-on collision.
The road was dry and visibility was good and the Dynamic Rides CC member has reported the incident to the police, but is yet to receive acknowledgement or news of any action.
> Near Miss of the Day 715: Driver clips cyclist's handlebars overtaking on tight bend
We are going to take the opportunity to give Simon's charity rides for Acorns Children's Hospice a shout-out.
Despite turning 60 this year he completed a 12-hour marathon session on a spin bike at a Virgin Gym, hardly the most comfortable endurance challenge.
Simon described the ride as the "hardest thing I have ever done" and is aiming to raise £5,000 on his JustGiving page for the local children's charity.
Later in the year he is riding 300 miles from London to Paris, and is, at the time of writing, 69 per cent of the way to his fundraising target having already received £3,475 of donations.
> 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
Dan joined road.cc in 2020, and spent most of his first year (hopefully) keeping you entertained on the live blog. At the start of 2022 he took on the role of news editor. Before joining road.cc, Dan wrote about various sports, including football and boxing for the Daily Express, and covered the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Part of the generation inspired by the 2012 Olympics, Dan has been 'enjoying' life on two wheels ever since and spends his weekends making bonk-induced trips to the petrol stations of the south of England.
Latest Comments
- ktache 3 hours 11 min ago
The small frame, the aggressive posture, lots of standover height.
- mctrials23 4 hours 7 min ago
As i've said before, the police should be sued for a lot of money when someone they have knowingly ignored has gone on to commit a serious crime....
- David9694 4 hours 15 min ago
'Bad parking' blocks firefighters multiple times on same emergency call-out...
- David9694 4 hours 18 min ago
Cambridgeshire boy, 13, crashes Audi into garden wall after taking it from home...
- Adam Sutton 5 hours 4 min ago
Good stuff. Now do it on cycleway C9 through Hammersmith to Chiswick.
- mark1a 5 hours 13 min ago
It's technically allowed but it's not known as "London's Orbital Car Park" for nothing.
- Dogless 6 hours 21 min ago
You're defending bombing hospitals and refugee camps and starving children.
- mattw 9 hours 1 min ago
Used car salesman is a complete attention-seeking plank....
- tubasti 9 hours 18 min ago
I don't know if they're any better, but they's certainly become more boring.
- FionaJJ 9 hours 45 min ago
At risk of being cynical, and stereotyping the police, it's so they don't have to leave the comfort of their panda cars and pursue on foot when...
Add new comment
15 comments
Cycling; you just ask yourself why. Really annoying, and dangerous, for the oncoming driver. Illustrates the self-entitlement associated with driving these days; it's not a human right!
TVP - Does anyone have the email address to ask for updates on traffic cases?
TrafficFASTEnquiries [at] thamesvalley.pnn.police.uk
A day after I submitted on the portal, I got an email with a reference number for my case.
I phoned up a week later using the number on that email and they were able to give me an update using the reference number. So far, so good.
they were able to give me an update using the reference number. So far, so good
I apologise for harping on about this, and it may be that other forces are not as bent as Lancashire, but phone calls are worthless because there's no record and if you have an ambiguous 'action letter' along with the 'we're not going to tell you what we did' dodge, it means they have done the least they can get away with- which in the case of Lancashire's action could still mean no action at all.
TVP seem to be one of the better police forces for this. I have been told the outcome in the past and I think I will be for this one too. I went for the phone call as it gives me an immediate answer. I just wanted to know if a NIP had been issued as there's a 14 day time constraint on that.
If they were as evasive as Lancs seem to be, then I may have considered a different approach.
When I have emailed them back, replying to their confirmation email, they have phoned me back within a couple of days.
When It's an NFA they just reply by email.
Motorist thinks, "You made me nearly hit that car!"
Whilst getting the intended sarcasm of this comment, it is rather depressing how often just recently I have read something along the lines of "but cyclists riding in the middle of the road (sic) will force car drivers to overtake into oncoming traffic" as a response to the updated / clarifications to the Highway Code with respect to cyclist lane position.
I got "if I hadn't overtaken you there would have been a worse accident" because Capt & Mrs Gammon couldn't possibly drive behind me for 50 yards, no, only 2 options: overtake into oncoming traffic or run me down.
It's amazing how we can FORCE drivers to drive badly but our psychic powers are somehow useless to get them to drive safely.
Not a criticism, just a question, but is the quality of this video the same as the one sent to the police? I can't read the reg. plate even full screen on a 27" iMac so that may be why they've NFA'd it.
Super 8 does seem an unusual choice for this purpose.
It looks to be taken from a phone capture of a computer screen replaying the original video, probably to deliberately obscure the driver/car identity, maybe as a way around the you must not post this online thing.
So i'll assume for the sake of it, the video isnt comprised solely of the cyclist staring at the verge all the time and has a wider angle view.
However it coincidentally reinforces my personal choice of fixing my camera to my handlebars.
As for the pass itself, well I doubt it will go anywhere for that.
Yep I have a handle bar mount for my camera as it definitely gives a more stable viewpoint when recording, and saves some of the previous efforts which had a jaunty angle when I was recording.
I do however disagree, that pass should get prosecuted..... not because it was a close pass of the cyclist but because they forced the oncoming driver to take evasive action. The cynic in me thinks because it was a near collision involving 2 motor vehicles they will take it more seriously
Most drivers don't look further than the end of their bonnet (or hood in you're in the Colonies).
Constructive Criticism: The duration of the video is too tightly cropped.
I think there's a general problem with many people not thinking ahead at all, or considering what the consequences of their actions may be. Not just on the road. That driver probably does mind bogglingly stupid things all day long.