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news
Near Miss of the Day 233: A pass so close it broke the cyclist's handlebar mirror
Cambridge may have by far the highest proportion of people cycling of any town or city in Britain, but as anyone who rides a bike there will tell you, that doesn't necessarily mean that motorists share the road safely - indeed, this video shows an overtake that was so close it ended up in the cyclist's handlebar mirror being broken. It happened on Coldhams Lane, and the beep of the horn that accompanies it shows it was a manoeuvre that was aimed at intimidating the rider.
It was filmed by road.cc reader Stephen on his commute during mid-November. He told us that on Saturday he heard from the Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit, who said they would not be pursuing it.
Stephen noted that this was despite the forces "recently running a close pass campaign," and that "interestingly they renamed the close pass exercise 'Safe pass'."
He continued: "The driver concerned clipped the handlebar mirror, which projects approx 1 inch from the bar end. The impact can be heard during the pass.
"I am wondering how close a pass should be to get any interest from this combined force. The preceding horn warning would indicate either bullying, or intent but that's just a personal point.
"Impact was sufficient to breaks the mirror, and put the wind up. But such is the life in a safe cycling city, where the police actively discourage such behaviour," he added.
> 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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29 comments
"Low sun, M'Lud..."
"Bedfordshire Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Roads Policing Unit" do not run the close pass op, that is done by Cambs police only. You would be better off taking this to Parkside police station.
The tri county policing unit focus on Inurance, VED and MOT etc. I've had 3 good reactons from Cam and Hunts cops!
Yep. Deserves a smashed mirror.
And maybe windscreen, seeing as it's Christmas, season of goodwill and all that...
So, the overtake isn't illegal due to being the "exit" zig-zags, but the overtake is still dangerously too close and thus not in accordance with the Highway Code.
Make a claim on his insurance for the cost of replacing your broken mirror.
It's petty but when he comes to insurance renewal time he'll find his premium jumps because he's had a claim against him.
How would/could you go about doing this? How would you find their insurers?
https://www.askmid.com/
You would make a claim through your own insurer. Most club riders need to have 3rd party insurance as provided by Cycling UK/CTC or British Cycling or some independent cover.
Being insured yourself will make a claim a whole lot easier.
you can cliam on house insurance, I did and got myself a whole new bike after some twat deliberatley ran it over on a no through road while I was changing a tube!
Just watched it again with the sound up. (Don't want to scare the wife when I watch these!)
Just as with the Jeremy Vine incident...a toot means deliberate. Definitely an assault, coupled with failure to stop.
Jeremy Vine van incident - bad driving, inconsiderate of consequences and a danger to cyclist as just didn't care and could have lifted foot rather than hit horn
This incident - deliberate decision to intimidate cyclist, aware of consequences and very dangerous to cyclist as pre-meditated close pass misjudged and very nearly resulted in what would have been serious injury to the cyclist - no on coming vehicles as an excuse (not that should be), had to wait for cyclist at roundabout so saw them....just malice
Bloody Hell, get this reported asap. You can actually see the car's wing mirror bend in on impact and spring back .(14s into the vid.)
It's instructive to see how much the wide angle lens may make such close passes seem less dangerous and aggressive than they actually are, at least to those who haven't experienced them.
Bes/Herts/Cambs RPU, ah yes, our delightful police service whom are sworn to keep the peace and uphold the law fairly and without favour/bias ... what a crock of shit that is. I've had too many instances where our local RPU don't give a flying fuck about the law, don't give a toss about vulnerable people being attacked with a weapon, nor bothered to do anything other than fob you off.
Not fit for purpose!
Make a complaint and tell them to do the jobs they swore an oath over.grrrr
Punishment for making them give way to the right on the roundabout. Sincerely hope that a complaint about this incomprehensible decision will be effective, although it is more than 14 days since the event.
Remarkably calm reaction - I would have been effin' and blindin' - you must have nerves of steel.
@road.cc - surely this doesn't qualify as a miss (near or otherwise) given contact was made?
Definitely go for a complaint. If Cambridge is anything like Avon & Somerset, then you can raise a complaint online and only takes about 5 minutes.
They'll likely try to head it off from being a full, formal complaint by re-evaluating the footage.
Good point - 6 months imprisonment is the maximum.
Lodge a complaint and appeal it pronto. The overtake within the zig - zag on the pedestrian crossing is illegal.
But the overtake took place on the exit, which is not illegal.
Have another look, it was definitely in the zig zag after the crossing which is illegal. Also immediately after there are dual solid white lines.
It's only illegal to overtake on the approach zig-zags not the exit ones, they are there to regulate parking.
Double post
Sadly not so. The law only applies to motor vehicles. Read The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/regulation/27/made and http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/regulation/28/made
Which is quite a stunning exception given the overtakes I and I'm sure other cyclists get on crossings.
Not quite sure what you're saying here, as the motor vehicle did overtake on the zig-zags. The fact that the bicycle was there and the first reg you quote says that it doesn't apply to bicycles is irrelevant, or at least, that's the way I read it. I don't think either reg you quote says that it is permitted to overtake on the zig-zags to pass a cyclist.
I'm saying it's not illegal.
28(1)(a) applies within the zig-zags but the law only states motor vehicles overtaking other motor vehicles. It doesn't mention bicycles.
28(1)(b) might apply *if* the lead vehicle (it doesn't say motor vehicle although in 27(1) it explicity rules out bicycles in the rule about stopping) is stationary and complying with a signal. Ergo, even if stationary, car drivers can still overtake bicycles.
Whereas I think it's highly relevant. It also applies to horses of course if the law explicitly is only about 'motor vehicles'. ie. no restrictions on overtaking horses or indeed restrictions on horse riders overtaking cars.
And IIRC it's been argued to allow overtakes after the crossing as the law mentions the 'approaching vehicle' in relation to the crossing. There was a law change to clarify it only applied to the lead vehicle, moving or stationary, as motorcyclists were caught out filtering through stationary queues. Post the change they still aren't allowed to overtake the lead car or the car approaching the crossing but can filter up behind it.
It looks like a badly written law to me and should apply to all vehicles. But it's one of those laws that I bet nobody pays much attention to, like the no overtaking cyclists on a solid white if they're doing more than 10mph law, which I get at least a dozen times a day.
Thank you for the clear and comprehensive explanation. As you say, a bad law.
I'm sure it will be addressed in the government's review.
http://willcycle.blogspot.com/2017/12/when-police-fail-you.html
Perhaps the only way to get Cambs police to take dangerous overtaking seriously.
This. Do it now and hopefully ruin that f******rs christmas.
Surely that's a hit not a miss - and consequently failure to stop after an accident.