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A25 Newlands Corner close pass. GU54VSV

Near Miss of the Day 241: Very close overtake on double white lines – but nothing heard back from police

Our regular feature showing close passes from around the country - today it's Surrey...
by Simon_MacMichael
Wed, Jan 23, 2019 11:45
11

Today’s entry in our Near Miss of the Day series shows a very close pass on a road marked with double white lines – but the cyclist who recorded it has heard nothing back from the police since submitting the video to them.

It was filmed by road.cc reader Steve, who told us: “The incident occurred on 16 December 2018 and submitted to Surrey Police the next day via the reporting website. Haven't heard anything so have decided to escalate to media.

“In fact, I submitted it twice to Surrey Police.  On their web portal there is a form to fill out with a tick box to indicate whether or not the incident involved contact between the vehicles.  It was very close but there was no contact. 

“I got a call the same day from Surrey to say that the video had been passed to them by the Met.  I was told that this department only dealt with collisions so I should resubmit it. 

“I did the same again being very careful to make sure I got everything correct.  Same thing happened again and I got a call asking if there had been contact.  I suggested that there may be a problem with the web page and asked the person to forward the video to the appropriate department.  Since then I've had no further contact.”

He added:  “The close pass is at about 35" into this copy of the video  (There was a full 2 minutes either side on the version I sent to the police.) 

“I was going up Newlands Corner A25 from the Shere direction.  A silver Toyota, GU54VSV, passed very close at speed while there was oncoming traffic.

“Other vehicles had previously passed me safely.  There was another cyclist ahead so the traffic was moving slowly and I caught up with the Toyota.”

> 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

Near Miss of the Day
NMotD Surrey
Simon MacMichael

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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11 comments

Avatar
caw35ride | 5 years ago
0 likes

Perhaps Road.CC should approach their press folk for a feature on the responsiveness of police forces around the country.

Avatar
rcbroughton | 5 years ago
2 likes

I've reported about 10 passes like this to Surrey Police over the past few months  (a couple of them even closer and faster than this one). I've heard nothing from them.  They are just not interested.

I can tell that the videos I submitted have been viewed (view count on private YouTube clips) but I guess I'll have to wait until I get killed by one on these maniac drivers before the police will take any notice.

Avatar
burtthebike replied to rcbroughton | 5 years ago
2 likes

rcbroughton wrote:

I've reported about 10 passes like this to Surrey Police over the past few months  (a couple of them even closer and faster than this one). I've heard nothing from them.  They are just not interested.

I can tell that the videos I submitted have been viewed (view count on private YouTube clips) but I guess I'll have to wait until I get killed by one on these maniac drivers before the police will take any notice.

Have you complained?  If no-one complains, the higher ups will just assume that the system is working.  Maybe the officer who looks at these vids doesn't ride a bike or doesn't like cyclists, but unless you and Steve do something, nothing is going to change, until, as you said, someone isn't quite as lucky as you.

Avatar
rcbroughton replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
0 likes

burtthebike wrote:

rcbroughton wrote:

I've reported about 10 passes like this to Surrey Police over the past few months  (a couple of them even closer and faster than this one). I've heard nothing from them.  They are just not interested.

I can tell that the videos I submitted have been viewed (view count on private YouTube clips) but I guess I'll have to wait until I get killed by one on these maniac drivers before the police will take any notice.

Have you complained?  If no-one complains, the higher ups will just assume that the system is working.  Maybe the officer who looks at these vids doesn't ride a bike or doesn't like cyclists, but unless you and Steve do something, nothing is going to change, until, as you said, someone isn't quite as lucky as you.

After a bit of bouncing arund different contact, I've finally got some updates on the cases that I submitted and it was reassuring to learn that 3 of them have been sent on WDU courses and 2 of them sent warning letters.   

That is a good outcome as far as I am concerned, as any eductional or "don't do that again" from the police will make these drivers think twice in future.

The police explained that they are not generally able to provide updates on these sort of cases, due to the volume that they receive.

Avatar
Legs_Eleven_Wor... replied to rcbroughton | 5 years ago
1 like

rcbroughton wrote:

I've reported about 10 passes like this to Surrey Police over the past few months  (a couple of them even closer and faster than this one). I've heard nothing from them.  They are just not interested

Make them interested. 

Just remember: no CCTV, no DNA.  

Avatar
craigr | 5 years ago
3 likes

They don't give the second cyclist much room too. (2 minutes 10 seconds)

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Rapha Nadal | 5 years ago
2 likes

Aggressive driving towards a cyclist in Surrey?! Never.

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brooksby | 5 years ago
3 likes

I wonder if there was an element of "really not looking ahead" too?  The silver car which close passes, then *immediately* brakes to end up behind the slow moving queue ahead. 

Avatar
jh27 replied to brooksby | 5 years ago
4 likes

brooksby wrote:

I wonder if there was an element of "really not looking ahead" too?  The silver car which close passes, then *immediately* brakes to end up behind the slow moving queue ahead. 

 

There was a cyclist in front of him, so of course he wasn't looking ahead - he was concentrating on getting past the cyclist as quickly as possible in the smallest space as possible.  Isn't that how driving is done, surely it's only possible to notice one thing at a time?

Avatar
Accessibility f... | 5 years ago
4 likes

It's legal to overtake on a road with two solid lines to the centre.  The offence is made when crossing or straddling the offside line, unless passing something doing under 10mph or passing an obstruction.

Of course the overtake was extremely dangerous and the driver ought to be removed from the road anyway.

And I don't believe that I have ever, ever seen any motorist pay any attention whatsoever to the <10mph rule when passing a cyclist.  They all do it, without hesitation.  Presumably they then go on to complain about cyclists running red lights.

Avatar
ClubSmed replied to Accessibility for all | 5 years ago
1 like

Peowpeowpeowlasers wrote:

It's legal to overtake on a road with two solid lines to the centre.  The offence is made when crossing or straddling the offside line, unless passing something doing under 10mph or passing an obstruction.

Motorists have to give cyclists 1.5m space while overtaking, so overtaking within the solid white lines is illegal as it is impossible to comply with the passing distance whilst doing so.

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