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Video: Was this cyclist right to take this motorist to task?

Helmet camera user follows driver into Lidl car park to complain about 'dangerous' overtake...

Helmet camera footage can be found everywhere from YouTube to the national media these days, and can also help convict motorists involved in collisions or altercations with cyclists, or who are simply enjoying their breakfast while attempting to drive a car.

Video: Woman caught eating bowl of cereal while driving

But are some cyclists overdoing it? Have a look at this video, posted to YouTube last month showing a cyclist remonstrating with a motorist he believed had endangered him after she overtook him then turned left into a branch of Lidl to do her shopping.

Is it really that bad of an overtake? Was the cyclist justified in following the driver into the car park and then take her to task for what he saw as her poor driving? Who was being more reasonable, the cyclist or the driver? And would the situation have been different if the person in the car had been a 6' 4" builder?

The commenters on YouTube are pretty unanimous in their thoughts. Let us know your views in the comments below.

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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71 comments

Avatar
ofathens | 8 years ago
7 likes

I think he just wanted to tell somebody he was going 20 miles per hour. Must be a new record for him.

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Daipink | 8 years ago
2 likes

A good example of why you shouldn't ride too close to the kerb.

Irritating bit of driving but an overreaction by the cyclist. Seems helmet cams come with built in self-righteousness module.

Have to get me one and start posting videos of all the times I have cordial exchanges with other road users to balance things out like the drivers who've let me out 2 times this week at a tricky t-junction.

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hardgrit | 8 years ago
3 likes
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jollygoodvelo | 8 years ago
3 likes

He's the sort of "cyclist" that gives the rest of us a bad name.  That's a perfectly fine manoeuvre, ride on.  Save your energy for pedalling.

Yes, the driver could have waited behind him.  But she didn't, and it was fine.

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atlaz | 8 years ago
3 likes

I note with interest that he stands well back until he's worked out it's a woman who probably won't go for him before he rides over to have it out with her. Not only was he in the wrong but has no courage in his convictions. Utter bellend. 

Most of us have been left or right (if in Europe) hooked and a lot get it on a regular basis. I had two far closer incidents on a one-hour ride this lunchtime but neither needed anything more than a yell to make them aware of what they were doing. 

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bikebot | 8 years ago
2 likes

If this chap would like to come forward, I'd be happy to show him what a left hook looks like.  As a regular user of CS7 into London, I've experienced my fair share and it won't take long to experience another.  If you ever do a roadsafe or proper Police report, the key phrase is whether you needed to take evasive action, hard braking or steering to avoid a collision.

The only thing you can say about the driver, is that it looks like she was already indicating left as she overtook.  Strictly speaking, that's a little off, but you'd have to be a berk to chase someone down for that and I'm sure we've all done worse ourselves.

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EK Spinner | 8 years ago
2 likes

She was well in the wrong, when her car first comes into shot she already has the left indicator on so considers herself to be close to the junction, completly selfish piece of driving, I know I have spoken to drivers after similar incidents but normally because they are the second or third in quick succession.
He actually gets to the junction about 2 seconds after she turned in, bearing in mind that he also braked I would suggest she was more like a second in front of him when she turned. Alternatively she could have remained behind him and turned in approximatly 1 second later.

We are in danger of normalising and accepting a very poor standard of driving,  had she done this on a driving test I like to think that she would have failed.

Manoeuvers like this happen all to often because so many drivers simply pull out and pass a ccylists without considering that they are carrying out an overtake and they should engage thier brain first.

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mrmo replied to EK Spinner | 8 years ago
1 like

EK Spinner wrote:

She was well in the wrong, when her car first comes into shot she already has the left indicator on so considers herself to be close to the junction, completly selfish piece of driving,

 

 

 

Or maybe she was indicating that she had finished the overtaking manouver and was moving back in? You know, like you are taught! indicate out, overtake, indicate in! 

 

 

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Low Speed Wobble replied to EK Spinner | 8 years ago
1 like

EK Spinner wrote:

She was well in the wrong, when her car first comes into shot she already has the left indicator on so considers herself to be close to the junction, completly selfish piece of driving, I know I have spoken to drivers after similar incidents but normally because they are the second or third in quick succession.
He actually gets to the junction about 2 seconds after she turned in, bearing in mind that he also braked I would suggest she was more like a second in front of him when she turned. Alternatively she could have remained behind him and turned in approximatly 1 second later.

We are in danger of normalising and accepting a very poor standard of driving,  had she done this on a driving test I like to think that she would have failed.

Manoeuvers like this happen all to often because so many drivers simply pull out and pass a ccylists without considering that they are carrying out an overtake and they should engage thier brain first.

 

Seriously?

Avatar
EK Spinner replied to Low Speed Wobble | 8 years ago
1 like

Low Speed Wobble wrote:

EK Spinner wrote:

She was well in the wrong, when her car first comes into shot she already has the left indicator on so considers herself to be close to the junction, completly selfish piece of driving, I know I have spoken to drivers after similar incidents but normally because they are the second or third in quick succession.
He actually gets to the junction about 2 seconds after she turned in, bearing in mind that he also braked I would suggest she was more like a second in front of him when she turned. Alternatively she could have remained behind him and turned in approximatly 1 second later.

We are in danger of normalising and accepting a very poor standard of driving,  had she done this on a driving test I like to think that she would have failed.

Manoeuvers like this happen all to often because so many drivers simply pull out and pass a ccylists without considering that they are carrying out an overtake and they should engage thier brain first.

 

Seriously?

 

Yes Seriously, ask yourself this, if you were the driver  and a tractor or JCB was in front of you at (just under) 20mph would you overtake it 20yards before your left turn and not expect a very loud horn blast and flashing of lights

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Low Speed Wobble replied to EK Spinner | 8 years ago
1 like

EK Spinner wrote:

Low Speed Wobble wrote:

EK Spinner wrote:

She was well in the wrong, when her car first comes into shot she already has the left indicator on so considers herself to be close to the junction, completly selfish piece of driving, I know I have spoken to drivers after similar incidents but normally because they are the second or third in quick succession.
He actually gets to the junction about 2 seconds after she turned in, bearing in mind that he also braked I would suggest she was more like a second in front of him when she turned. Alternatively she could have remained behind him and turned in approximatly 1 second later.

We are in danger of normalising and accepting a very poor standard of driving,  had she done this on a driving test I like to think that she would have failed.

Manoeuvers like this happen all to often because so many drivers simply pull out and pass a ccylists without considering that they are carrying out an overtake and they should engage thier brain first.

 

Seriously?

 

Yes Seriously, ask yourself this, if you were the driver  and a tractor or JCB was in front of you at (just under) 20mph would you overtake it 20yards before your left turn and not expect a very loud horn blast and flashing of lights

I don't disagree that such things don't happen, but I think you'll find this simply isn't one of those occasions.

Avatar
FluffyKittenofT... replied to EK Spinner | 8 years ago
1 like

EK Spinner wrote:

Yes Seriously, ask yourself this, if you were the driver  and a tractor or JCB was in front of you at (just under) 20mph would you overtake it 20yards before your left turn and not expect a very loud horn blast and flashing of lights

It wasn't perfect - possibly I might have 'tutted' to myself, maybe, at that turn.  But its just that compared to the utterly crappy driving one encounters umpteen times a day (including as a bloomin' pedestrian!) that event might not even have registered. 

You just get so much worse so frequently, why pick out that particular one to chase someone down over? 

And why upload the video, when, if this cyclist wears a camera a lot, they must have far more serious examples available? 

Not sure about uploading videos at all, if they feature people's faces and number plates, unless its something serious the police have lazily refused to do anything about (or, realistically, its serious but you just know on past experience the police won't do anything about it). 

 

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bendertherobot | 8 years ago
5 likes

Another day, another incident, another set of comments reinforcing the now acceptable view that anything that an individual does should be reflected on the outgroup as a whole. Sigh.

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Dnnnnnn replied to bendertherobot | 8 years ago
1 like

bendertherobot wrote:

Another day, another incident, another set of comments reinforcing the now acceptable view that anything that an individual does should be reflected on the outgroup as a whole. Sigh.

I don't see anyone saying it *should* be reflected on us all. Even erroneously, however, these things often are.

It happens to lots of minorities - look at the Syrian refugees. One of millions suspected as a terrorist and now the whole lot are tarred (by many, not all) with that brush.

It just seems to be how human minds work.

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bendertherobot replied to Dnnnnnn | 8 years ago
2 likes

Duncann wrote:

bendertherobot wrote:

Another day, another incident, another set of comments reinforcing the now acceptable view that anything that an individual does should be reflected on the outgroup as a whole. Sigh.

I don't see anyone saying it *should* be reflected on us all. Even erroneously, however, these things often are.

It happens to lots of minorities - look at the Syrian refugees. One of millions suspected as a terrorist and now the whole lot are tarred (by many, not all) with that brush.

It just seems to be how human minds work.

Yet we, as a cycling group, fully armed with the englightment that it should not perpetuate our own myth. That the mouth breathing Daily Mail might believe it is, at least, understandable. But we should be fighting not to subscribe to the notion that anything done by "one of us" is done in our name.

Avatar
Dnnnnnn replied to bendertherobot | 8 years ago
0 likes

bendertherobot wrote:

Another day, another incident, another set of comments reinforcing the now acceptable view that anything that an individual does should be reflected on the outgroup as a whole. Sigh.

I don't see anyone saying it *should* be reflected on us all. Even erroneously, however, these things often are.

It happens to lots of minorities - look at the Syrian refugees. One of millions suspected as a terrorist and now the whole lot are tarred (by many, not all) with that brush.

It just seems to be how human minds work.

Avatar
don simon fbpe | 8 years ago
2 likes

I was more concerned about the overtake at the traffic island and not the turn in.

Bloke's a bit of a tosser. Southerners!

And those stupid side banners appear to have gone.  laugh

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Davidn37 | 8 years ago
3 likes

This cyclist  is the type who gives all cyclists a bad name.  He acted aggressively in a situation where it was unwarranted.  You can tell from the number of car park spaces that the driver did not 'cut him up'.

Too full of his own importance, the woman should be praised for her calm. Perhaps she ought to make a complaint to the police for harassment.

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mrmo | 8 years ago
3 likes

er..... 

unless the camera area of view has MASSIVELY distorted what i am looking at, i am really struggling to see anything wrong. 

You could question the overtake and the traffic island by the second car?????

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ciderman_100 | 8 years ago
2 likes

the only problem was that the car overtook through a refuge so it is a pinch point so the car could have been too close or forced the cyclist to the gutter but he should have tried to 'own the road' at that point all in all moutain and molehill. as somebody commented perhaps if the driver was not a woman then perhaps the video might have had a diffferent ending.

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Xwheels | 8 years ago
3 likes

Oh s*** , just had some weird idea this is some disastrous advert for Lidl's Silvercrest Action Camera.
Marketing budget not on par with GoPro ,but must do better . . .

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danthomascyclist | 8 years ago
3 likes

What a fanny.

 

She probably shouldn't have overtaken near that traffic island, but I'd be completely happy if that was the worst I had to deal with. It wasn't a textbook pass but it didn't appear dangerous.

 

The guy should spend a day cycling along the Bristol/Bath A4 in morning rush hour. If he spends 3 minutes lecturing every person that doesn't give him a wide berth he might arrive at the end of his ride in time for dinner.

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wilkij1975 | 8 years ago
3 likes

The one thing she MAY have done wrong was to overtake by a traffic island. Apart from that there was nothing wrong there.

 

The bloke was being a nob head and it's this kind of action over nothing that'll stoke up anti-cyclist felings. He hardly looked like a cyclist either so I'd suggest he's someone who rides a bike rather than a cyclist.

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harman_mogul | 8 years ago
6 likes

He is a bully looking for trouble.

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Xwheels | 8 years ago
10 likes

The woman reacted brilliantly and was very composed when confronted by this imbecile.
All credit to her.

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jakesiney | 8 years ago
3 likes

What a complete Twat. He wants to try riding in the West End, did he even have to brake? No. Knob.

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pintoo | 8 years ago
7 likes

Nope.  That's not a left-hooker of any note whatsoever.  Completely wrong to rage at the woman in the clip.

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adamski218 | 8 years ago
4 likes

He's just wasting everyone's time and needs to find a life!

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Low Speed Wobble | 8 years ago
5 likes

Unbelievable. He needs to apologise to her. And to us cyclists. It's guys like him that give the rest of us problems. He was driving with a friend and told him off too? I'm surprised he has any friends.

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mrdescarga | 8 years ago
3 likes

Like everyone else I agree this guy is a total dick and had no reason what's so ever to have a girl at the girl.

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