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news
Near Miss of the Day 425: 'Idiot in Avensis' shows how not to drive at a roundabout
Here's one of the more heart-in-mouth Near Miss of the Day videos we've seen of late - and one that emphasises how important it is to regularly check your brakes are working properly, as a cyclist who is turning right on a roundabout is almost hit by a driver who either didn't see him, or gambled that he could get across first.
The video was shot by road.cc reader Mateusz in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire yesterday evening.
"I'm still not sure how I managed to stop and unclip without falling on my ass," he told us.
"I have contacted the police but I don't think they'll care because the car has no number plates in front!
"Didn't realised that until I checked the video so I didn't even bother to check the plates at the back. Not that they seem to care anything if the number plates are well visible."
"On the notes to myself I should not have positioned myself so far to the right and should've figured that the guy is going to ignore me signalling but well, lesson learned," 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.
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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25 comments
That was crap driving from the Avensis driver, however, it was patently obvious that they were never going to give way. Although the rider in no way had to, I'd have erred on the side of caution there. An idiot guided two tonne missile wins every time.
Supers79 to whom?
Why attribute this article to a particular car. I am on my second Avensis been driving for fifty plus years had to learn to drive and then pass a driving test. Any idiot can jump on a bycycle and cause chaos with out any training or licence. It is time thst cyclists were licensed and insured and if it comes to it, taxed. It is about time this changed. I was always taught to drive further than the end of my bonnet and to drive defensively and assume everyone else is an idiot or a danger. Might be wortwhile cyclists taking responsibility for their own safety and not expect others to look after their safety.
Motorists have a responsibility to pass cyclists with a 2 meter space why should cyclists be allowed ride three abreast and gossip while riding instead of concentrating on the road. I was a cyclist into my mid thirties and a motor cyclist into my forties so have seen both seen both sides of this issue. Seen cyclists pointing to the floor to indicate their intentions to turn right. There is bad both sides of this argument.
A bit obvious for a wind up; everything in bold, spelling mistakes, incoherent rambling, first post.
1/10; must try harder.
I don't understand what the cyclist did wrong here, and how any form of registration, insurance, taxation or training for the cyclist might have helped. Only the cyclist prevented the crash and any injury that would have resulted, but it would have been the trained, licenced, insured and taxed motorist at fault. The little fact that they had no front numberplate making their car illegal to drive on the road makes me wonder what else they may be doing illegally at the same time, but with no registration visible we cannot possibly know. Driving without care and attention at the very least, of course.
I'm replying to eburt here, not the shouty idiot. Is posting in bold the new SHOUTING now? Always a clue to a certain level of inteligence.
So defensive because you drive a similar car? Seems to be the sudden idiots choice judging by the driving demonstrated and the rant here. Judging from your rant you are around 70 years old and took your driving test and passed when it was easier to do so. Do you think you would pass now? Especially as you seem to think that a car can go straight on at an island and not give way to vehicles from the right and seems to think cyclists need licensing and taxing for some strange reason.
I think you will find most cyclists take responsibility for there own safety because an "accident" like the one above is not going to kill a car driver.
"I was always taught to drive further than the end of my bonnet."
Well, yes. I'd hope everyone could walk up to 2 metres. Further than that may require a vehicle.
How does taxing and registering the cyclist prevent the car driver nearly ploughing into him?
What's wrong with pointing to the floor to indicate turning right? I prefer to do this as too many motorists don't leave enough room around cyclists and I don't want some idiot in an Avensis smashing into my hand.
Do you find it difficult to see if a cyclist is pointing right and downwards? That would mean a trip to Barnard Castle could be in order.
Drivers don't know what it means? It's not in the HC or any manual for driving/riding on the road, and if they don't know that you're indicating to turn right, they could just think you're pointing at something on the road.
You may have a point (although sometimes I am pointing at something on the road - I'm looking at you, SUV driver who decided to overtake me at speed as I was already overtaking a badly parked white van!).
Mind you, the HC does talk about motorists using their indicators (those flashing lights - apparently they're not just a get-out clause for the parking regulations, who knew) as a 'standard' indication of proposed direction of travel, and we all know how well that works...
I haven't had any issues with drivers misunderstanding it, but then I do try to indicate relatively early, change road position and glance backwards. If I'm at the front of traffic lights, then I do point horizontally as it is more visible to cars in the queue.
Pointing at the road while on a bike has always meant "there's an obstacle here" to me, it's never meant "turning in this direction" - turn left is raised arm ( at least forearm) pointing to the left, ditto right. That's been true with every group i've ridden with, and trying to use the same signal for both would be very confusing IMO...
I don't typically ride in a group, but I've been behind some cyclists that do that (and I attempt to do the same when I go in front). I'll keep that in mind if I'm riding with others though I think I do raise my hand enough to make it clear that I'm turning. I haven't had any issues with drivers misunderstanding my signals (yet).
Article attributed to a particular car? - Because that's the marque of the car in the clip.
...jump on a bycycle (sic) and cause chaos... - Except it was the idiot in the car who was causing the problem here and (by your argument) we will presume that they were taxed/licenced/had-been-taught-to-drive.
...if it comes to it, taxed. - What tax would that be? Emissions duty? 'Use of tarmac'? Please go away and read about how roads in the UK are paid for (given your spelling of 'metre/meter' I suspect you may be elsewhere).
...why should cyclists be allowed to ride three abreast... - Strawman alert! The cyclist in the clip we are discussing was on his own.
I also note that you haven't actually come back after your one and only post. Did you have to go away and post an irrelevant rant on some other group's forum?
This is why mini-roundabouts have, or had, a higher collision rate for cyclists than other road features, but they allow the traffic to flow, so they are popular with highway authorities, the same HAs which have pro-cycling policies.
When SGlos council wanted to replace a T-junction with a mini-rbt, I objected because of the increased risk to cyclists, and provided national data to back up this position. The response I got was that it was still going to be installed because they weren't as dangerous in SGlos as the rest of the country. To prove this, they had cyclist collision data for the mini-rbts in the area, and compared it to that of normal junctions, and, lo and behold, there were fewer collisions at mini-rbts. Of course, there were only maybe a dozen mini-rbts and ten thousand other junctions, but that was a mere trifle. It was about that time that I realised that quoting their own policies, data, facts and logic was useless.
it also ignores the probability that many experienced cyclists change route if at all possible to avoid roundabouts...
After a near miss a few years ago, I'll try to avoid roundabouts/busy junctions. Hoping drivers have seen me is no good to me - I want to know for definite they HAVE seen me. This isn't possible, so the only solution is to avoid them.
And, things seem to be worse since the relaxation of lockdown; in my last few rides I've had to abandon a couple of right hand turns because of drivers sticking a matter of inches behind my rear wheel......all that pent up impatience.
On the contrary, I'd say the police are more likely to care because the car has no number plates. It depends on the priorities of the constabulary and the attitude of the officer who assigned to your case, of course. Some good ones would care either way, however others would regard the incident as no-harm-no-foul but the lack of number plate worth investigating. At least to check CCTV in the area to see if there's one on the back of the car.
Avensis, or Auris? Hate to think any Avensis drivers were unnecessarily offended
. Well done for stopping though, and staying upright.
Actually it's a Toyota Corolla MPV in this case, but regardless it was still shocking driving.
The Toyota driver is very definately in the wrong here, but a couple of observations that might help riders reduce the likelyhood of not ending up in a similar scenario.
Personally I would not have gone right over the right hand side of the lane ont he approach to the roundabout. Just right of middle, is best.
Heading right over the right puts you in danger for a number of reasons, not least 1. Ensuring you are right in the A pillar blindspot of oncoming cars, 2. giving room for cars behind to sneak through on your left and 3. it puts you much closer to the exit path of idiots like the Toyota who shortcut the roundabout.
On the approach, once I've established nothing is coming from the right, I would be watching the oncoming traffic like a hawk, and if necessary weaving a little to 'change the picture' that the oncoming driver is seeing.
Check out IAM motorcycle training handbooks for more info.
On the other hand, given that cycles don't have flashy indicators and your hands (arm signals) are needed for steering or possibly emergency braking. The best way of showing other road users where you are headed at roundabouts is through unequivocal lane positioning.
Rider did well to anticipate and being prepared to stop under full control.
Agree on no.2 - the car behind wasted no time getting past, reducing your bail-out options.
That's nasty. I'd guess, as there wasn't a collision and the cyclist was able to stop, the police will at most would send a warning letter.