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news
Near Miss of the Day 332: Oncoming driver *skims* cyclist without slowing
Today’s near miss is about as close as they come. Driving on a narrow country road, the motorist appears to make no effort to slow down or in any other way make allowances for a large group of cyclists who were coming the other way on a Sunday club run.
The incident occurred on Messuage Lane in East Cheshire in November last year.
Jeanette, the cyclist who was skimmed by the car, said: “We were a group of nine cyclists riding two abreast and I was in the last pair, on the outside, with just one rider (with the camera) behind me.
“There was perfect visibility and the driver was going very fast, but he did not slow at all or move to left as he approached.
“The cyclists in from shouted ‘car down’ and we attempted to single-out, but I did not have time due to his excessive speed – although you can see from video that I was in the process of moving to left (thank God).
“He missed me by less than 0.5cm.”
Jeanette sent the video and a statement to Cheshire Police. “An officer told me it was the closest near miss he had seen and they would prosecute.
“Unfortunately, due to an admin error, the notice to the registered owner asking who was driving did not get sent within 28 days. (It was sent to me instead and I assumed I’d just been copied in).
“When I asked police how the case was progressing they realised their mistake, but by then it was too late apparently. How ridiculous.
“Anyway, the police officer was very upset and apologetic. He kept in touch with me and apologised and told me how I could make an official complaint against the police but I chose not to.
“He did visit the registered owner with the video to show him and have a word, but was told he was in Australia for a month.
“He left messages asking him to contact police on his return but he never did, so he got away scot-free despite almost killing me.”
> 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.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
- Rendel Harris 3 sec ago
So you can't actual defend your false staement, we may assume.
- Eton Rifle 1 sec ago
You do see some utterly ridiculous examples of car use....
- Eton Rifle 22 min 18 sec ago
Exactly. Every road death is a tragedy but this is at the "twat deserved it" end of the spectrum, looking at the state of that car.
- Rendel Harris 29 min 42 sec ago
I'm not the editor of this article, nor indeed of anything on this website. One would have thought that didn't require explaining.
- Eton Rifle 30 min 16 sec ago
I think the answer is in your question. I genuinely didn't know he was married to her. It does kinda explain it. Disappointing, nevertheless.
- Daclu Trelub 5 hours 15 min ago
In a perfect world, we'd have a measure of how easily distracted someone is, as part of their driving test....
- Sredlums 5 hours 42 min ago
These products are nothing but ridiculously expensive and superfluous, and they bring nothing but bragging rights....
- Daclu Trelub 6 hours 2 min ago
Of course they are, and not so different. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09B662CDN?crid=34M42BETAMFT0&th=1 The bugger's got four versions up now!
- squidgy 6 hours 19 min ago
At least the van driver was nowhere near the stationary cyclist.
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46 comments
the police officer was very upset and apologetic. He kept in touch with me and apologised and told me how I could make an official complaint against the police but I chose not to.
Why on earth not? I can only think that you somehow felt that this was a personal complaint against a police officer who was appologetic towards you.
It is not personal, it is a complaint against a failing system and by doing so you potentially fix said system.
That is shockingly bad. I bet they would have slowed down if it was a tractor with a bale spike coming towards them.
Perhaps all club runs in Cheshire should have a tractor escort?
Hopefully he'll pay on his insurance premium.
Hmm. Cheshire. A county of entitled see-you-next-Tuesdays, in SUVs and trucks, with a thousand times more cc than braincells.
.
Fine mudflaps on some of those mudguards.
Shocking driving of course.
Big car with personalised plates...
I wonder if you could take a civil action?
Unfortunately not in this case, there is no civil recompense for shit driving.
The cycling group would be fully entitled however to pay 5 quid at the post-office using the reg quoted elsewhere in the thread to find out where the registered keeper lives and make their feelings known...
Surely it's not that easy to get the registered keeper info...
But no, a civil suit would be difficult. Civil actions were concerned with loss, and without damage to property, injury, lost earnings, etc. that's tricky. You could argue that you've been deprived of your enjoyment of cycling and try to argue a monetary value for that, but you'd never get it to stick.
Time to get back to the police and ask if they've been back to visit the driver to make him fully aware of the seriousness of the situation, and that it's by sheer luck (incompetence) he's not looking at being a pedestrian.
Ideally send a traffic officer who does those awful visits to tell a relative that a loved one is not coming home to sit down with him and go through exactly what that process is like.
You'd be forgiven for thinking the police don't give a shit.
Correct
Cheshire police and the CPS don't give a shit. Obviusly the person who said they would prosecute was new and when news of their 'mistake' got around they were told to arrange an administrative error, to ensure that the status quo was not disturbed.
Nothing to see here.
Atrocious driving.
They don't. Lancashire Police are dreadful. I used to hold the police in very high regard, but now that has gone. I don't bother reporting near misses and very close passes to them any more as the stock answer is always the same, 'it's not in the public interest to prosecute'. I even reported a driver texting whilst driving in traffic. I gave the HD footage to them which clearly showed the woman (white Audi, surprise surprise) texting before giving me a gobful of abuse and telling me to fuck off, whilst still texting. Lancashire Police reply? Sorry, it's not in the public interest, and she is in traffic which isn't moving fast, so she isn't a danger to other road users!!! I complained to the PSD, they didn't even bother replying.
Last night some pissed dickhead drink driver destroyed two cars which were parked near my house. Both occupents ran off. 999 called, reported it. Plod took half an hour to appear.
BUT..... call someone on social media and they are all over it!
you might not have noticed but "Plod" have taken a 25% cut in numbers and this has a consequence.
Hard to beleive last week when they were chasing two men in a white van which overturned up the road and destroyed five cars. One arrested, one ran off and I have never seen so many police cars in such a short space of time. Approximately 12 cars shot past, 4x4s, traffic cars, unmarked cars, armed response etc etc etc.
I am well aware that the numbers have been slashed, I used to work with the police as a volunteer. But, it is amazing how many they can muster if needed.
Section 172/NIP.(notice intended prosecution) This document must be served within 14 days of the alleged offence.
If there was an accident then the time limit can be upto 6 months.
Shoddy police work.
That's shockingly close. Seamons are my local club, and although I'm not a member, I often see them about on Sunday mornings and share a wave or chat with them. Nice bunch.
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