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news
Near Miss of the Day 324: Driver changing lanes without looking, almost takes out cyclist
Occasionally on our Near Miss of the Day series, the video features an incident that happens not to the cyclist filming, but to another rider – and that’s what we have today, as an Edinburgh motorist driving a Vauxhall car switches lanes without looking and almost takes out a rider, who manages to take evasive action.
The footage was shot at around 8.30am last Friday morning outside the entrance to the Scottish Widows underground car park on Semple Street by road.cc reader Alan as he commuted from his home in Oxgangs in the south west of the city to work in Morrison Street in the Scottish capital’s West End.
Alan told us that he managed to speak to the cyclist afterwards: “I said, ‘You were lucky to avoid being knocked off!’. She replied, ‘Very lucky!’.
“I tried to attract the attention of the car driver by tapping on his door, when we were both stuck in traffic, but although he looked at me, he refused to either acknowledge me, roll down the window or speak to me.
“The cyclist then rode off through the green traffic lights whilst I and the cars were still stuck in the traffic queue.
“I shouted, ‘This will be reported to the police!’ then again, ‘Police!’ through the window, but received no reply. When the traffic started moving again, we all moved off.”
In the end, Alan did not report the incident to the police because he said he was “not aware of any mechanism to do so and also I believe that the police in Scotland are not usually willing to act even if someone has suffered an injury.”
He continued: “I see bad or dangerous driving about once per week on my commute, which is twice per day, five days per week.
“This was a typical careless pull-out by the car, towards the lesser end of the danger scale and this type of incident makes up about 80 per cent of the incidents which I see.”
Alan added: “I actually bought a head-camera after a hit and run accident by a motor vehicle in which I was significantly injured. In this case, the police refused to intervene or take any action.
“A solicitor then successfully claimed on my behalf against the driver and obtained compensation, part of which I used to buy the camera.
“I now use the camera for evidence-gathering, should there be a need for a civil claim against a third party.”
> What to do next if you’ve been involved in a road traffic collision
> 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.
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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27 comments
It should be mirror-signal-mirror-maneouvre.
(It bugs me when even the Highway Code says mirror-signal-maneouvre)
you're also supposed to check the blind spot, by looking over your shoulder.
But if you do that you might miss something on Insta...!
After several views I would suggeast that: 1. driver was starting manouver before indicating. 2. cyclist was past rear indicator before indication. 3. cyclist was level with driver when manouver was still underway.
Almost got taken out like this last night.
Filtering past a line of stationary traffic, one driver decides he's had enough and is going to pull out, presumably to turn right into supermarket just ahead.
Just had enough room to avoid his bonnet.
Good to know, hawkinspeter. I captured a near left hook on a cyclist in front of me recently, but didn't manage to speak to the cyclist who just carried on her way. Unfortunately holiday intervened so I didn't manage to submit it to the police in time, but I wondered whether in practice they would take action without victim details.
So, that maneuver was IMHO...... the bus has stopped to let people off, I am too important to wait I will just drive round it, oh sh@t its started to move again I must barge back in in front of the white van..... what do you mean there was a cyclist there...
The cyclist appeared to be changing lanes making their way to the cycle filter lane at the same time that the car indicated then started to move, she had already entered the lane before the Astra indicated therefore had there been a collision the Astra would have definitely been at fault.....
If I was in the position of the cammer I would have asked the woman for her contact details and provided mine, so that if she reported it to the police I would be in a position to act as a witness and provide the cam footage of the incident.
There isn't enough footage of before, but it looks more like the cyclist was at the right edge of the lane going past recumbent, then moved to the left.
The driver should have clocked the recumbent and not been surprised to encounter a cyclist.
Has anyone had success reporting an incident like this to the police, where you only witnessed an incident / caught it on camera, and were not the victim?
Yep - I was doing the Great Weston Ride and caught a driver overtaking some cyclists in front as an oncoming car came round the corner and "forced" the overtaking driver to pull in sharply in front of a cyclist. Luckily, no-one got hit, but I submitted it as a close pass and Avon/Somerset police eventually responded and were going to send a letter to the driver.
I cycle this street every day - the driving was not good but the elephant in the room is a stupidly sited bus stop close to the junction. Hence drivers get blasé and impatient about having to pass stopped buses. Plus there is a road closure nearby that is sending a lot more traffic down that street to turn left.
What makes it worse is most of the buses that stop there have to turn right at the junction, so it's not unusual on the bike to be nearly sideswiped by bus drivers doing signal-manoeuvre (& what's a mirror?)
Looks like a classic 'shit happens' blind spot and cyclist coming in from the right.
But if the driver had bothered to indicate, would have reduced the problem as the cyclist would have had some warning. That's the whole point of indicators!
There's a junction I use regularly where I often (in the car) pull out into the emptier RH lane (LH lane blocked with left turners). I always indicate for exactly the reason we see here - in case despite looking (which I suspect the driver above hasn't done), I haven't spotted someone who will be affected by my manoeuvre.
But then I like to think that as a regular bike commuter I have an appreciation of how my driving can affect (hopefully not impact) cyclists...
But then again, looking and indicating is one of the basic things expected of a driver (and cyclist of course)!
Driver does indicate...
Yup - missed the indicator. But woefully late. As others have commented, something like "manoeuvre-and-indicate and maybe mirror or look afterwards".
TBH the driver is not in the wrong here. It's understandable that he or she could not have seen the cyclist coming given the blind spot and the circumstances.
Although fairly swift action with little indication. Blind spot probable yet vehicles use indicators and some patience to allow surrounding fairness with safety.
I cut a cyclist off yesterday doing a U-turn with a semi. Fair call though. He had 400metres flat terrain and eye contact. Would have to slow down or I'd miss another 5 minute window. Must have been a gravel bike, opted 10 metre of hard gravel..
Idiots just need indicate and avoid selfishness.
Driver drove like an idiot if I'm asked.
The driver is responsible for only making a maneouvre when it is safe to do so.
It looks like the driver just flicked on their indicator and pulled straight out without looking, so technically anywhere not directly in front of the driver would be a "blind spot". If you don't look, then you don't see.
Also, why are other people saying that the driver didn't indicate?
I was wrong bro. Indication was on. I think someone below mentioned that cyclist changed lanes too. He/she changed left moments before car changed right. Hence although the change was swift the lane would have been empty during look. Cyclist didn't indicate (I could be wrong again).
Glad such wasn't an accident too.
(Might have fixed on recumbent and seen lane clear infront, retarded lane change until sure of recumbents safety and in doing so shifted lanes swiftly although by now another cyclist had changed lanes and made things tight.)
That's the reason for the life-saving "extra" check.
If the driver had followed that, then they would have had two chances to spot the cyclist.
Sometimes cyclists don't "indicate", but there's usually a glance over their shoulder which gives you an idea. Unfortunately, doing a proper signal involves removing a hand from your handlebars which isn't always safe to do.
What blind spot?
The cyclist would have been visible in the wing mirror and from a shoulder check. Or is that not part of the driving test now ?
Really? In my book ...
Classic - impatient, opportunistic, risk-blind, selfish incompetence.
+1 - please report, cyclist!
No, it's not understandable - it would only be understandable if you don't think that they have any obligation to actually check the other lane is clear before moving across.
I'm pretty sure that vehicles approaching from behind in the adjacent lane wouldn't be in a so-called "blind spot".
That's the point of wing mirrors or of, you know, 'moving your head'.
If every vehicle in the lane to your right (in the UK) was in a blind spot then it would make - for example - motorway driving pretty interesting ("Define 'interesting'?"
).
The filmer should try a little harder to report this, rather than just assuming he can't. A simple phone call should elicit the information he requires, and the driver might then face some repurcussions for their dangerous , illegal driving. Or the next cyclist might not be so lucky.
Was the cyclist changing lanes? Initially I thought that it was a blind spot in the driver's mirrors. Whatever, it was an overtake in a built-up area using a 'right turn' lane and a cycle lane. Terrible, thoughtless driving really!
Looks like they overtook the recumbent in lane and we're moving to position for the cycle lane.
I had something like that. Was changing position within my lane when a driver decided to change lanes.
Of course it was all my fault.
Almost crashed into a vulnerable female cyclist to barge 2 cars up a queue of traffic.
Could have caused nasty injuries,
BUT 2 places.