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Caravan lorry close miss (YouTube user jthefishy)Video: Caravan firm "horrified" after cyclist suffers shocking near-miss
A manager at a Gloucestershire company has said he is “horrified” at a video showing one of its vehicles speeding past a cyclist on the A59 at Samlesbury, Lancashire with barely inches to spare. The company, Forest of Dean Caravans, had been alerted to the video by a Twitter user who had seen it. The cyclist involved has told road.cc he believes the close pass was not only dangerous, but also deliberate.
The video, filmed at around 7.10am on Wednesday and posted to YouTube by user jthefishy, shows just how close the flatbed lorry, carrying one caravan and towing another, came to striking the cyclist. The potential consequences of that are obvious.
It’s clear the driver of the lorry saw the cyclist – the horn was sounded loudly and at length as the vehicle came up behind the rider, alarming enough in itself.
If you watch the video at work, you may wish to turn the sound down – there’s some (understandably) strong language.
In subtitles to the YouTube video, jthefishy said: “There is plenty of space and no oncoming cars etc. Other cars and wagons give me loads of space. They use the centre of the road to give me loads of space.”
He added: “Unfortunately I cannot work out his registration or company name. If anyone can help please do.”
The vehicle was quickly identified as belonging to Forest of Dean Caravans, based in Parkend, Gloucestershire.
The cyclist added: “There is an unsuitable cycle track at the side of the road which is a shared one with no rights of way and loads of lamp posts and signs in the middle of it! That is probably why he had a problem.”
This afternoon, road.cc spoke to the cyclist, named Jon, who works near the location where the close pass took place.
He told us: “When I heard the horn, I thought it was one of my mates, but when it continued I knew it wasn’t.”
Alerted by the noise to the fact something was going on, he didn’t look over his shoulder – something that could have taken him off his line – but kept riding straight on.
As the lorry went past, Jon was getting ready to put his hand out to gesticulate – luckily, though, he didn’t do that before the caravan being towed passed him.
“I’m a big bloke,” said Jon. “If it had been someone lighter, or not so good at holding their line, it could have been fatal.”
He described the driver as a “flaming idiot,” and said “I’d like to see him get points on his licence and severely reprimanded at work.”
But he said that so long as this was an isolated incident rather than repeat behaviour, he wouldn’t want to see the driver lose his job.
“I make mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, and we need tolerance on the roads,” he went on.
“But I would like to see him get prosecuted, because it was dangerous and it was deliberate,” added Jon, who believes the driver’s action was as a result of him not using the cycle path.
Jon has contacted Lancashire Constabulary to report the incident, but hasn’t heard back from them yet.
It’s the second time he’s contacted police over video footage of bad driving, and he told us on the previous occasion they did speak to the driver involved.
Mike Stead, who is on Twitter as @tweetymike, posted a message to the social network in which he described the incident as “borderline attempted murder.”
He took it upon himself to contact Forest of Dean Caravans and spoke to its transport manager, Mark Turley, who said he was “horrified” at the footage in the video.
Mr Turley added that “disciplinary action” would be taken against the driver when he returned and that the company would co-operate in any police investigation.
The family-owned firm has said that it is preparing a statement to reassure cyclists about the action it is taking.
We asked Mike why he felt compelled to act. He told us: "Social media can be great for raising awareness, but ranting/retweeting don't change much.
“Engaging with firms, helping them understand the depth of feeling and suggesting how to progress is the way to go.
“They're more likely to follow through and change or enforce policy and practice," he added.
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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127 comments
The boss of the company was horrified as well and has promised to reprimand the driver. You could still go in and buy your caravan and also make a point while doing so that you hope the driver has been given a final warning over this incident, and perhaps that the firm should institute cycle training for all its truck drivers. That'd be more effective overall.
You need to make sure that you tell them that - otherwise your intention won't be nearly as effective.
I just don't get this. The owner has said he was horrified and will take action against his employee the driver. He may well be doing that for cynical PR reasons or he may be doing it because his insurance company would blow a gasket if he didn't do something about the behavious of this driver. Apart from that he might just be a normal person that looked at the video and was horrified.
But if you boycott him anyway despite his proper reaction then he may as well have been a tosser about it and he'd have lost the sale either way.
If you are going to punish companies for taking the wrong attitude then you need also to reward them when they do something right.
My father played a big riole in the Anti Apartheid movement in the UK. We boycotted everything South African when I was a kid. As soon as Mandela was elected my dad made a point of buying South African fruit and wine.
Stick AND carrot.
I bet the whites in South Africa were not the ones who suffered from that.
Good grief.
Not old enough to remember are you? Both economic and sport sanctions were called for by ANC and COSATU. But it wasn't black people who owned the fruit farms and vineyards. These were cash exports. Very different to stopping imports as per Iraq.
I put more store by Mandela's an Tambo's thanks than your comments if that's ok?
Wasn't my point anyway which is that you not pnly use your custom to punish but also to reward. The owner of the business could easily have said it was a police matter and not done anything.
If you believe that, you're an... [fill in the blank].
Beefy,
You should tell them about that £8k to their face. Let them know it won't be going to them unless they can show you hard evidence that a) the driver has had some real kind of punishment (pay docked and/or police fine / points) b) they'll be making all drivers, current and new, aware of how to behave safely around vulnerable road users.
Just thought I would throw my "two penith" worth in
I work in the industry and know these guys really well. I don't know which driver it was (but I could guess) but most of them are a good bunch. If I hadn't seen it I wouldn't have believed it. A big argument for cameras. I was nearly knocked off by a bus recently, and after emailing the bus company, I got the usual standard "were taking action" response. Knowing Mark, I know he will be taking this very seriously. Again, is it an argument for cameras to be in all large vehicles?
Quick advert :0 I sell caravans for Michael Jordan Caravans, some days I feel I am the most hated man on the roads. Or at least by Jeremy Clarkson
Very scary.
What do drivers like this think they are playing at? One wrong move and at best its a very serious injury, worst case death.
Doubt the driver thinks it through or gives a shit though, the police don't seem to either.
No doubt Jeremy Clarkson would say the cyclist should have worked harder and then he could have afforded to buy a car. Cos it's like hilarious to laugh at RTA victims. Not.
Was a group ride the other day, had a oncoming truck towing a caravan nearly jackknife in front of us as he tried to overtake and pull in too rapidly another cyclist. F**king scary! Driver just manged to pull it back in lineup. Imagine 15 cyclists maimed in one accident!
i was run off the road a month back by a lorry. He had followed me for about 20 seconds before pulling out to overtake, then once the front of his trailer was level with me he pulled back in. I was doing about 25mph at the time and had to ride off the road, luckily for me there was no kerb although i did poo my pants a little. i emailed the firm and got a response but as i was too busy trying to stay upright i didn't catch his number plate so there was nothing they could do about it. As a result of this i now ride further out into the road for my own safety, this might annoy the odd driver but as least i get home alive.
Maybe he'd seen clarksons Give an inch video and was beeping to say thanks for keep the roads quieter?
More to the point, I was night riding this week, quiet road, but nice and wide. Man decides to overtake a tractor coming towards me, Ive got an 800 lumen light on nice and bright and he just continues to accelerate towards me.
Luckily I just squeezed down the hedge, but if we have been 2 up someone would have gone thru the screen!
Sadly this is not an uncommon sight I have had it happen to me in similar circs a few times. It is extremely frightening had the cyclist moved to the right to avoid pot hole / debris etc he is dead at that speed and with a vehicle that large there is no way he will survive.
The driver and I use that term loosely is guilty of due care at the very min but proving anything more serious is a difficulty given the road traffic act etc.
The benefit for a prosecution at least is the fact it shows it clearly and more importantly as was mentioned by the cyclist there is no oncoming traffic which would have made the idiot do as he did. That said it's still an easy case to prove as had there been any oncoming traffic he should have slowed and held back until it was safe to pass the cyclist.
Not in the slightest surprised. That companies vehicles come past my house and I live in fear of my live if I am out on my bike. Several other roads around here are lethal because of their vehicles.
I have been forced to a stop on the bike and in the car almost every time I am passed.
Part of the issue is that they have flat bed lorries with a caravan on and then a trailer with another. The roads don't really suit that. Can't moan about the company as its a long standing local business that is successful.
Absolutely bloody disgraceful, the driver wants banning - no excuse at all for this! I sympathise with the cyclist, I had a similar thing a year or so ago but it was a car with a young driver being a complete cock, unfortunately I didn't have a helmet cam
Christ that's close. Whatever punishment is heading the driver's way it needs to be serious.
3rd video "Decent of Parbold" clearly shows the same dude pushing on, all over the road then blasting past a Micra going through a speed camera - hmm if your going to tell others off for speeding and posting their registration on line then you need to practice what you preach IMO.
IMO I feel complicity different to your opinion.
He is travelling faster than the motor vehicle limit. That is pretty clear, so he is taking the safest line through the corners, as no vehicle should be travelling faster than the speed limit. It is a pretty safe course to take.
Yes he past a slower car, but he did so on the outside, pretty safely if you ask me. I cannot see a problem with that video at all.
My point being he takes people to task for speeding, but posts videos of himself doing the same thing, somewhat hypocritical.
If you could please direct up to the relevant UK legislation covering speed limits for cyclists, would be much obliged.
(noting speed is not the issue here)
It isn't the same thing.
Indeed, its not remotely, in any sense 'the same thing'. One is illegal, one isn't, one seriously endangers others one doesn't.
Question is, was he cycling "furiously" in those videos? Speeding on a bike is not an offense, but apparently it is to cycle while furious! I think cantankerous cycling is OK though. Ditto disgruntled cycling, grumpy cycling and crotchety cycling.
...learning to quote...
I don't think speed was an issue with the caravan mate, even if it were how are you able to justify that comment when there is no indication of speed in the video you have mentioned. Plus the cyclist overtook on a dashed line in a perfectly legal manoeuvre. You probably need to reconsider your argument and look at what happened in this specific incident rather than tracking back through his YouTube clips to find reasons why he is in the wrong
Worst I think that I've ever seen. Amazing. I'm sure the police will act appropriately and send a sternly-worded letter to the driver. And probably one to the cyclist saying that he should have been on the cycle path wearing hi-viz.
No they won't, the guy will probably be questioned, no action taken, if it is I think it will be 3 points and £150 fine.
GMP wouldn't be interested. I had a hit and run before Christmas, all caught on camera. Unfortunately I wasn't injured so plod just checked that his papers were in order and closed it on the basis of too much else to do and some cock and bull about not enough evidence - there was plenty.
I got hit by GMP.
They really didn't want to take it any further.
This rear facing camera is in the pipeline - http://www.bikeradar.com/commuting/news/article/fly6-rear-light-and-came...
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