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Near Miss of the Day 285: Two dodgy manoeuvres in the space of two minutes

Our regular series featuring close passes from around the country - today it's East Renfrewshire...

Today’s video in our Near Miss of the Day series is summed up by its title on YouTube - "Two dodgy manoeuvres in two minutes."

It was filmed in East Renfrewshire near Glasgow by road.cc reader Andy as he entered Barrhead on his evening commute home.

He told us:  "The driver had no chance of seeing what was coming the other way, but committed to the overtake anyway then had to dive in when there was an oncoming car.

"Police officer (genuinely) thought long and hard about it but decided not to pursue any prosecution.“

Referring to the end of the video, he added: "Look out for the bonus bus too!"

> 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 (link is external).

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

> What to do next if you’ve been involved in a road traffic collision

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
SculturaD | 5 years ago
2 likes

Police Scotland need to come into the 21st century and have a dedicated online reporting facility, rather than this antiquated, we will come to your home to view your footage.

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jacko645 | 5 years ago
1 like

So I can see why people think I'm a bit far out into the lane and to be fair I probably could have been a bit further left. But when I'm following the bus, I know it's probably going to pull into the bus stop, and I don't want to get stuck behind it and having to merge into the outer lane again. There was method in the madness!

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racyrich | 5 years ago
0 likes

Ask the policy why they haven't issued a Section 59 notice.

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bikeman01 | 5 years ago
0 likes

It seems to be the norm these days to overtake cyclists regardless of oncoming traffic. Often oncoming cars are forced to actually stop. But of course it's the cyclists fault.

Regarding the video. I appreciate that the guy doesn't want to get doored but doors are not that big! Keep left mate.

Anyone would think you're deliberately trying to hold up traffic to provoke some action for your camera!

"Do you want to get your excuses in order" - what an arse!

Avatar
OldRidgeback replied to bikeman01 | 5 years ago
2 likes

bikeman01 wrote:

It seems to be the norm these days to overtake cyclists regardless of oncoming traffic. Often oncoming cars are forced to actually stop. But of course it's the cyclists fault.

Regarding the video. I appreciate that the guy doesn't want to get doored but doors are not that big! Keep left mate.

Anyone would think you're deliberately trying to hold up traffic to provoke some action for your camera!

"Do you want to get your excuses in order" - what an arse!

I dunno, I thought the cyclist was remarkably restrained. And the road positioning was ok. Maybe it would've been better just to submit the footage, but the rider wasn't aggressive or confrontational. Perhaps the driver will think next time before making a crap overtake, perhaps not.

I did note the model of car.

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jacko645 | 5 years ago
1 like

Interestingly, the officer said they are now no longer allowed to phone them up to give them a warning. Never heard that before so he might have been having me on.

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burtthebike | 5 years ago
1 like

Clearly the police weren't going to prosecute because of his retaliation in talking perfectly reasonably to the dangerous driver.  After that, it wouldn't have mattered if he had a hundred vids of this driver breaking every conceivable road law, he retaliated, so that exonerates them.

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giff77 replied to burtthebike | 5 years ago
3 likes

burtthebike wrote:

Clearly the police weren't going to prosecute because of his retaliation in talking perfectly reasonably to the dangerous driver.  After that, it wouldn't have mattered if he had a hundred vids of this driver breaking every conceivable road law, he retaliated, so that exonerates them.

Nothing to do with the ‘retaliatory chat’. Fiscal guidelines up here state that unless you’ve been injured or had to take evasive action (pretty difficult with an overtake) no action will be taken. This was implemented  a couple of years ago to stop the courts getting cluttered. All you can do is report it and it gets recorded and hope that the PC actually has a chat and issues a warning. My opening line is now ‘can you have an official conversation with this individual’. And then hope that the driver/vehicle is flagged for other offences. It’s pretty s***e to say the least. And the SNP will do nothing to improve road safety whatsoever. 

Also glad to see McGills is living up to their usual high standards of driving. 

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antigee replied to giff77 | 5 years ago
2 likes

giff77 wrote:

 

 

Nothing to do with the ‘retaliatory chat’. Fiscal guidelines up here state that unless you’ve been injured or had to take evasive action (pretty difficult with an overtake) no action will be taken. This was implemented  a couple of years ago to stop the courts getting cluttered..........

 

Broken system....plenty of other traffic offences which don't have "injury" or "evasive action' as a criteria for action....red light running, crossing double whites, speeding all get fines/points easily enough....possibly because they are a potential danger to other drivers but be a bad/mad or dangerous driver around a vunerable road user and that is all fine and dandy....again need to look at what West Midlands Police achieved with education and drivers being given a strong message through the press....courts not cluttered up but a reduction in cyclists cluttering up hospital beds 

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KeithBird replied to giff77 | 5 years ago
1 like

giff77 wrote:

And the SNP will do nothing to improve road safety whatsoever. 

 

 

You are way off with that comment.

Road safety in Scotland has improved a great deal in the past 6-7 years, mostly due to the Scot Gov taking a much more active and detailed approach to policy and infrastructure.

Still has a long way to go but actual public attitude & behaviour is a big problem.

These stats are a bit old now but worth looking at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/42306/sct04185220761.pdf

Last year I believe we had some of the best road safety stats in the world.

Avatar
giff77 replied to KeithBird | 5 years ago
1 like

KeithBird wrote:

giff77 wrote:

And the SNP will do nothing to improve road safety whatsoever. 

 

 

You are way off with that comment.

Road safety in Scotland has improved a great deal in the past 6-7 years, mostly due to the Scot Gov taking a much more active and detailed approach to policy and infrastructure.

Still has a long way to go but actual public attitude & behaviour is a big problem.

These stats are a bit old now but worth looking at: https://www.transport.gov.scot/media/42306/sct04185220761.pdf

Last year I believe we had some of the best road safety stats in the world.

While there has been gradual improvements over the last few years in road safety the 2018 figures have just been released and there have been further reductions in regards to fatalities across the boardthere has though  been significant increases in serious injuries. I would place this on advances in a he builds of vehicles.

On  the flip side modal share is still hovering at 2%. The govt has punted presumed liability into the grass - insufficient evidence that it works. They also punted 20mph blanket urban speed limits back into the councils laps.   The Fiscal as I’ve said on numerous occasions will not prosecute unless you are injured. Police Scotland don’t have a portal to submit evidence so you need to wait to see a constable which can take up to a week. Also there is neither speed or driver awareness courses in Scotland. It’s all pretty shambolic. 

The Herald earlier on in the year did a survey and something like 75% were put of cycling because of attitudes of motorists. Infrastructure and weather were not so much a deterrent. 

I listened to Mr Mathesons statement the other week and he talked big on record investment and bikeability in schools. All good things. Nowhere did he mention education of motorists and how they should interact with people who opt to cycle or measures that should be taken for repeat offenders. 

The SNP declared back in 2010 their aim to see 10% modal share by 2020. It is now July 2019 and we are at 2% with 5 months to go,  and all they can do is commit to consultations over the summer months to see what they can do. 

It truly is shambolic. They had an opportunity to score a first within the U.K. To borrow from Denmark and Holland and establish infrastructure within not just the major towns and cities but to link these cities with safe well  maintained routes are that we could have been proud of. And they haven’t. 

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