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news
Near Miss of the Day 532: Very close pass ahead of red traffic light
Today's Near Miss of the Day video comes from Livingston in Scotland, with the driver of a Renault car making a very close pass on a cyclist ... just before having to stop at a red traffic light.
The footage was shot by road.cc user Oldfatgit, who said: "I’ve joined Alderstone Road from the Adambrae Roundabout in Livingston, am traveling down the hill and the black car has joined behind me.
"I knew the car was there has he had been behind me at the roundabout. It’s a nice downhill section of a three-lane road, with the middle lane being an overtaking lane from traffic in both directions.
"I’ve looked behind me several times as the lane splits in two at the roundabout, and I want the outside lane.
"I’m aware that the car is starting to overtake (48 seconds), and I start to move slowly over to primary ready to control the lane after he has tucked back in, and to make my right turn safer – it’s two lanes in to three on the roundabout.
"Approach 1 (nearside) does exits 1 and 2; approach 2 (offside) does exits 3 and 4.
"At about the 54 second mark – you can just see his roof in the gap of my pannier and the edge of the frame.
"This is about 6 seconds in to his overtake, and he’s still not even past my back wheel. At around 57 seconds, he moves back in to the lane; it doesn’t appear to me that he’s checked his wing mirror, he just moves in.
"I squirt the brakes a touch, and at the 1:00 min mark, he’s completed his manoeuvre. Approximately 12 seconds to overtake a cyclist doing 20mph … and towards a red light.
"I come up behind and to the inside at the red, and re-read the number plate. I wanted to capture an image of his face with the rear camera, however I hadn’t realised that the pannier was obscuring the view; if I had have known that I would have stayed back.
"Having had a previous close pass where the driver was able to answer to a lesser charge of not disclosing the driver and I was unable to remember anything about them, I wanted to be sure.
"I’ve had experience with Police Scotland in the past and reporting close passes; they tend to not want to get involved unless there is a collision, or a ‘more’ serious offence carried out at the same time.
"I’m not sure that there is anything I could or should have done differently – but I’m open to suggestions. I’ve already been re-built once following a collision, I really can’t go through that again," 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.
> 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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27 comments
The driver had the time and space to make a proper and safe overtake, but didn't.
Non-existent "wing" (sic) mirror again.
So ... that's your 100th post on the site. Well done ... what a pity so many of them are making that same childish point. And I say that as a Computer Scientist and someone known for being ridiculously nitpicky and pedantic at times.
Seriously. You have made your point. Either live with people calling them wing mirrors or don't, but do you really need to point it out?
Every? Single? Time?
Have a nice day.
I didn't pick up the US English spelling of "travelling", so the writer got off lightly!
Looking fr your wisdom. Are you telling me that there are no modern cars with wing mirrors? that they all have door mirrors?
I don't know about ALL, but what I DO know is that RENAULT CLIOs are fitted with door mirrors.
Existent wing-nut again. Thank you, o mirror guru.
Just curious, do you also complain about misnamed things like guinea pigs, mincemeat, hot dogs, koala bears, panama hats, the Canary Islands, peanuts, walnuts, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries?
Also, clipless pedals.
Mainly people on Twitter with several UK flags in their profile who then use US English spellings.
The most worrying thing when a driver makes a f*ck up is that they never think to brake and stop. Yep you're in a shit position but you're not moving and you're in a metal box...
Much more logical in the average drivers mind to turn their ton of metal towards an actual human!
Yes, it is a frequent argument of the petrolheads that they need the acceleration to get out of trouble, when 999 times out of a 1,000, it's better to brake.
I'm (increasingly less) often surprised by the number of drivers totally incapable of considering that a cyclist has chosen their road-position for a reason. The rider in this video is clearly not moving left, the driver has just decided that they can push left and it's the cyclists problem. It often happens at a junction near me where there is a traffic island protecting a right-turn box. I'll hold primary if I'm going right (so that I can signal and move over in order to enter the right turn box) but the number of cars that attempt an overtake, spot the island, and just shove left is ridiculous.
Terrible driving!
I reckon there is a definite element of expecting that the cyclist is simply not going to behave like a motor vehicle. The car driver here is probably genuinely surprised that the cyclist would take the right hand lane to take an effective right hand turn at the roundabout. More fundamentally they might not even be aware of the direction markings where the roundabout entry lanes divide.
It's poor driving demonstrating a lack of awareness and lack of looking ahead to anticipate the traffic lights. The only thing the cyclist can do is to ensure that road positioning is backed up with clear signalling.
That's an interesting number plate they have, reckon about 40% of car number plates should be prefixed with 'TWAT'
The driving was ridiculous but I wonder sometimes why we then decide to go back in front of them at the lights. They've been frivilous with our life once, why let them have a second go?
Because it proves a point, however tiny it might be, that might get through the drivers thick skull or at least that's my excuse
I might have conceded on a roundabout like that as that looks a hairy road setup, but the countless times that's happened to me in that kind of scenario on less hairy roads ,yes I'd absolutely ride past to stop and park, broadside if I had to, in front of them.
Most of the time the second pass is then much better, not always but as you are primed for it,its less of a shock.
I'm not saying I don't do it
Just when someone else does you think why the hell would you want to be in front of that moron again!!!
To be fair, the OP does explain in the article why he went back in front ... which was to get the driver on camera, without realising that the pannier was blocking the view.
You did well not to thump on the roof !
Just sheer incompetent driving. I often find when going downhill that some drivers will completely misjudge the speed of a bike or the fact you are accelerating. Add to that one that's in the wrong gear for the overtake so crawls past, plus hasn't looked up the road for the red light. You wonder how these people passed their test.
I also think that with big roundabouts like this, some drivers expect cyclists to stay in the left lane, even if turning right (you can thank the highway code rule 77 for that!). So shoulder checking and indicating whilst making eye contact with the driver behind before the lane splits can help make your intentions clear.
agree with you there, especially that wrong gear thing, it amazes me how many folk don't seem to know how to drop a gear to accelerate, and I think many modern cars seem to be a bit overgeared/underpowered for accelearation (but great fuel economy) either that or they are incredably over powered (Audi A1 3.0 litre anyone ?)
I dont like close obviously, but I prefer slow, I know time exposed to danger and all that increases, but the ones that drop a gear and floor it past you I feel are worse.
There are two roundabouts within a couple of miles of my house where the council has seen fit to paint cycle lanes all the way around the outside, leading many (probably inexperienced) riders to stay in the lane even when turning right.
I have personally witnessed at least half a dozen riders being knocked off by cars exitting the roundabout straight across their path (none seriously injured but at least one bike write-off) and one of the roundabouts has a reputation for being the city's worst blackspot for cycling fatalities.
Cyclists should be encouraged (by the HC) to navigate roundabouts in the same way as cars do, until such time as we can come up with better infrastructure.
That roundabout cycle lane sounds horrendous. I agree that the HWC is wrong to advise riding around the perimeter, far better to take the lane and make yourself as wide as possible.
Trouble is, most people making these decisions have no idea about cycling. I watched a presentation about Cardiff's city cycle infrastructure the other day and the traffic engineer started out by saying he knew nothing about cycling when he started this job, but now a year later he's considered the expert! (to be fair, it looks like they've done a decent job - but still!)
To be fair, I don't think the Highway Code says cyclists should cycle around in the left-hand lane, merely that they are permitted to do so.
I also think you're giving the average driver too much credit if you think they can actually remember anything it does say...
lol true - I suspect the only thing they 'remember' is cyclists must keep to the left! (which of course they don't have to, but I've had quite a few motorists telling me this 'fact' over the years!)
This is a classic case of the driver not thinking ahead and by performing the manoeuvre so late, then being panicked into making it back into the lane before the road splits, which deflects all attention away from where the cyclist is. It is an appalling level of driving but unfortunately all too common.
Agreed.
Terrible planning from them. If you got a birthday card from them...
it wouldn't get to you on your birthday!