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Near Miss of the Day 522: Land Rover driver in pointless close pass

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

Today's video in our Near Miss of the Day series shows what the cyclist who filmed it described as a Land Rover driver "passing pointlessly close" - and from the footage, it's impossible to disagree.

Shot in the village of Congresbury, North Somerset by road.cc reader Nick, there's no oncoming traffic, road furniture or parked cars to contend with, but nonetheless the motorist overtakes the cyclist with just inches to spare.

It's perhaps not the worst example of driving we've featured over the years, but it is the kind of overtake that any regular cyclist will be all too familiar with, and underlines just why close pass campaigns from police forces across the country, emphasising to motorists how much space they should leave, are so necessary.

> 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

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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21 comments

Avatar
makadu | 3 years ago
2 likes

I was also out the in the same area on the same Sunday morning for my lockdown exercise, was nice to see lots of cyclists and walkers out enjoying the fresh air, but for a Sunday in Lockdown whilst main roads quieter the back roads were way busier than normal with "essential" car journeys.

I have started recording my rides due to the usual one or two close passes every ride, and the feedback on the close pass stories on here  - but this Sunday I got 4 dangerous close passes, only two of which were good enough to submit to Avon police.

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zero_trooper replied to makadu | 3 years ago
0 likes

Your decision because of poor footage, or A&S's decision after review?

What happens to the two that pass QC?

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makadu replied to zero_trooper | 3 years ago
0 likes

Poor footage - they usually take a week to get back and only state "will result in warning letter, training course or prosecution" and never specify which.

I expect I'll only ever find out if called as a witness to a contested prosecution

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JLasTSR | 3 years ago
1 like

Is it me? When you see someone not change their line of travel and they pass you way too close like this do you wonder if they saw you before you were almost under them? I'm not talking about the drivers that see you and subtly change their line to pass you by a good margin just the ones where you breath in as they pass. 

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wtjs | 3 years ago
4 likes

why close pass campaigns from police forces across the country, emphasising to motorists how much space they should leave, are so necessary.

The sham campaigns are worthless. Prosecutions and points are the only thing that counts. This one happened on 30.9.19, and the court case is scheduled for June 2021- and is almost certain to be postponed because it has a negative priority at Lancashire Constabulary. Someone please tell us about real prosecutions where they know there have been real deterrent consequences.

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Pilot Pete replied to wtjs | 3 years ago
0 likes

Follow Cycling Mikey on twitter. He has reported and had hundreds successfully prosecuted, mainly for phone use at the wheel, but he posts them all up on YouTube and gets hate and death threats. They usually get 6pts and big fines...

PP

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grumpyoldcyclist | 3 years ago
3 likes

Please report it

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Bungle_52 | 3 years ago
4 likes

Please report this. He should be 2.25m from the kerb, it looks like less than 1m to me.

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NZ Vegan Rider replied to Bungle_52 | 3 years ago
2 likes

Agreed - report it. 

No attempt to move over at all. Not looking or punishment?!

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HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
0 likes

Number plate fairly clear - CX65VKS.

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zero_trooper replied to HarrogateSpa | 3 years ago
0 likes

Can anyone make out what is written on the side of the Landrover?

It's so close it just makes it harder to read 

LAND ROVER?

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Hirsute replied to zero_trooper | 3 years ago
3 likes

"Take that cyclist scum"

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zero_trooper replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

Thanks for the laugh Hirsute  1

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alansmurphy | 3 years ago
5 likes

All close passes are pointless - unless getting to the next set of lights / drive thru / shops / mistress those few seconds quicker is more important than a life!

 

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mdavidford replied to alansmurphy | 3 years ago
5 likes

alansmurphy wrote:

All close passes are pointless

I don't know about that - I have a feeling that a good proportion of drivers who make close passes are making a point.

Whether that point has any validity, or whether they're making it in the best way, are, of course, different questions...

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HoarseMann | 3 years ago
5 likes

Didn't even deviate from their line as they passed - were they even looking?

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zero_trooper replied to HoarseMann | 3 years ago
2 likes

Well the car ahead of them deviated, so apparently not.

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Hirsute | 3 years ago
2 likes

All too familiar even in lockdown. Had one like that on Friday but messed up the recording

What, if anything at all, goes through these driver's heads?

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Rigobear replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
0 likes

I'm sure your question was rhetorical but usually either:
1. Ha ha ha aren't I clever
2. Take that for blocking 'my' road you non road-tax [sic] paying scum
3. I've got an SUV/4x4 bow before my majesty

Or similar, sadly never 'oh look another human being'

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Hirsute replied to Rigobear | 3 years ago
0 likes

No, it wasn't rhetorical.

They can't all be malicious, so what is it then? Just looking at the end of the bonnet, no concentration, not understanding that a bit of space is important?

Even in lockdown as a pedestrian, I find drivers give very little room - do they think nothing will go wrong ?

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Rigobear replied to Hirsute | 3 years ago
1 like

Car is King mentality and poor driving standards/training. Have to agree not looking beyond the end of the bonnet seems to be an issue for a lot of drivers.

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