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news
Near Miss of the Day 211: Another 'invisible' cyclist on a roundabout
Today’s video in our Near Miss of the Day feature is one that reflects a growing sub-genre in the series – the cyclist on a roundabout who, despite wearing hi-viz and using lights, is ‘invisible’ to a motorist.
This one happened back in August in Hatfield, Hertfordshire and was submitted by road.cc reader Tony, who told us: “The idiot in this car just didn't look as he entered the roundabout. I had to brake and literally turn my front wheel to avoid him ploughing straight into me.
“Despite the fact that I wear a bright yellow jacket and have loads of lights, the driver was completely oblivious. He had no idea that I was there, let alone just how close he had come to killing me.
“My camera was helmet mounted, so the video doesn't look like he was as close as he actually was.
“No doubt he would be the first to complain about cyclists. I didn't report him, but in probably should have done, just to make him aware of how dangerous he is.”
> 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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13 comments
Good luck Ynotmi, have you considered a flashing helmet light and an Airzound.
There are a lot of good comments here. A number of you have picked up on the fact that a wide angle, helmet mounted, camera doesn't really show the full gravity of the situation. It was very scary and I still find it hard to believe I managed to avoid being ploughed into. The outcome could have so easily been tragic!
Those of you who have said I should have reported it are right. Let's just hope that it was a one off instance for this driver. Fortunately, I have lived to tell the tale.
That was terrible. The driver was showing no signs of slowing as he approached the roundabout, it looked like he had no intention of giving way to the right, no matter what was there. I reckon he would have done that even if there was a bus or HGV coming from his right. The only slight mitigation was the state of the weather. There would have been a lot of lights, and a lot of reflections off of the road, and his side view was probably compromised by having a wet side window, however most straight thinking people would drive to the conditions, he clearly didn’t, and that could have been very nasty. Well worth reporting IMO.
Wot, no one replied, 'looking for trouble, there'?
This site has gone to the dogs.
Probably sending a text or watching Netflix. I see the latter far more often than you'd expect as I overtake the ten mile traffic jam that populates my commuting route.
Please, please film this. Shoot their number plates, then the tablet/phone, then (if possible) their faces. Please do this, or tell us where the jam is!
Its ridiculous that this wasn't reported - the driver thinks that this is acceptable behaviour and unfortunately, its another cyclist that is going to be the brunt of a far more serious incident caused by this idiot.
"My camera was helmet mounted, so the video doesn't look like he was as close as he actually was"
Looked frighteningly close to me!
Spot on.
Many videos suffer from the wide angle lenses used by these cameras, and don't look as bad as they probably were.
Taking that into account when watching this one is scary. It looks bloody close, so to think it was even closer...
Good anticipation from you, death or serious injury otherwise. Report him.
That's not a driver, that's an idiot in a car.
Yes you should have reported it.
Definitely. The next cyclist might not be so skillful or lucky. And that might be your mate, your brother, sister, or me.
We need a new rule: if you don't report bad driving, you can't complain about it.
I wouldn't go as far as your last paragraph but I am convinced that the mass use of cameras is the ONLY thing that will counter close passing. The cops don't have the funds to police ANYTHING properly anymore, the politicians don't give a fuck, the media are actively hostile to cycling, what else are we going to do?
I have a Cycliq front camera and have reported the worst two close passes, with video footage, to Avon & Somerset plod in the past few months. Both resulted in warning letters. The video evidence makes all the difference: the police cannot ignore it. Better than nothing. From small acorns and all that...