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news
Near Miss of the Day 570: Van driver Must Get In Front of group of cyclists
We’ve used the acronym ‘MGIF’ to describe the behaviour of some drivers in videos featured in our Near Miss of the Day series before – it’s shorthand for those drivers who feel that they ‘Must Get In Front’ of cyclists, in this case at a mini-roundabout in Buckinghamshire.
The clip was sent in by road.cc reader Lyndon, who said: “Our group of five set off this morning and within five minutes had a very close overtake by a T Brown company vehicle.
“I have already forwarded the footage to the company and reported to Thames Valley Police.
“Just another example of the typical MGIF attitude, hopefully the company or police will do something,” he added.
In a comment to the YouTube video, user Uphillfreewheeler – a past contributor to this feature – said: “I rang the number on the van and alerted the company to your video. They didn't know anything about it.
“The company is T Brown Group who are a gas services group, nothing to do with property management. I suggested they have a word with the driver for overtaking far too closely on a mini roundabout.
“As I said to them I don't think the driver was being deliberately aggressive. The driver may well complain you were cycling two abreast, which is of course perfectly legal.”
On that final point, many motorists still seem to believe that it is illegal for cyclists to ride two abreast, although the Highway Code states: “You should … never ride more than two abreast, and ride in single file on narrow or busy roads and when riding round bends.”
> Why do cyclists ride two abreast?
Cycling side by side when in a group can in fact make it safer for everyone when motorists overtake cyclists since it improves visibility and also means that the distance needed to pass the group is much shorter than it would be if they were in single file.
There’s a full explanation in this video from cycling journalist and author Carlton Reid, which features British Cycling policy advisor Chris Boardman and advanced driving instructor Blaine Walsh.
> 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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14 comments
Just go to the companies Google site and leave a negative review. They will sort the driver out faster than the police will if it reflects poorly on thier business.
I wonder if I could do that with the local Greek deli which regularly removes wands from a protected cycle lane so the owners dad can park his SUV outside...?
(and I also learnt today that asking whether the gentleman will put the wands back when he leaves, and waiting to see if he would, makes you a w@nker...).
Please do, social media is good for getting a response, too.
The person running the social media has to want to help though, my experience has generally been poor on getting a good response via social media channels.
Unless you can get the clip going viral, I don't think it helps
Close pass, Overtaking on the approach to a roundabout. If only there was some sort of Code about how to behave on The Highway that drivers could refer to as to whether manoeuvres were advisable (preferably to read at leisure and digest before being qualified to drive.....)
not being "deliberately aggressive" ? so its perfectly normal relaxed driving to try and overtake a group of cyclists like that through a pinch point on a mini roundabout at speed ?.
I might concede the frequency that it happens makes it inevitable in most circumstances,but I dont agree that normalises it as anything but being an impatient and deliberately aggressive way to drive around vulnerable road users,the rider in the yellow top had to quickly back out of not touching wheels as his ride partner is forced over by the van.
In response to a recent submission to TVP (31st March), I was directed to their "Solvability Matrix". On reading, it states that unless the driving meets the standard of being "dangerous" then if there are no previous offences, no action will be taken. I though this sounded like a step backward from previous interactions with TVP.
However, today I received a letter (yes, a letter!) confirming that the keeper is being officially warned regarding the close pass and if there are any further offences of a similar nature then "consideration will be given to taking further Police action".
So my faith in TVP is restored. Good luck with your submission!
However, today I received a letter (yes, a letter!) confirming that the keeper is being officially warned regarding the close pass and if there are any further offences of a similar nature then "consideration will be given to taking further Police action"
I don't know anything about TVP, and admit to being rendered cynical by years of dealing with Lancashire Constabulary, but this means that they will ensure that they 'don't notice' this warning when he does it again. The only way to beat this tactic is by the same cyclist catching the same driver committing the same offence in the future. The police rely on this being highly improbable.
I don't believe this to be the case with TVP. On previous submissions I've had several confirmations that NIPs were sent. I don't believe they would lie about sending them, so I guess there is some sort of triage process. Of course, I have no idea as to whether these were 'first offences' and deemed serious enough, or whether they fell into the 'subsequence offence' category - nor do I care.
In fact, apart from the really serious incidents (such as this, which resulted in an NIP) I'm not too bothered about an NIP being issued; but I am keen on warning letters being issued as an education measure. Many of these drivers dont seem (or claim not) to realise what a safe distance actually is (the warning letter mentioned went to this chap).
It's the kind of thing it would be useful for police forces to share abit more info on like how many they issue,how often followups occur, how do drivers react when they receive such a letter, I presume the police think its effective and not just a cheap way of decluttering the courts system.
But I have to admit as I still suspect Covid impacts are reducing the numbers of NIPs & increasing letters sent for video cam footage like this at the moment, I'm alot more hesitant to bother going through the process.
The more letters the better, surely? Even if absolutely no action is taken, there is a record of the report somewhere making future action potentially more likely. And if nothing else, it will show up in stats somewhere (even if only through a FOI request).
I realise its chicken and egg situation, but I already feel like Im swimming against an avalanche style tidal wave with this stuff, how cycling mikey copes with it I dont know, but Im not achieving a great deal from it, and if anything the situation is getting worse on the roads.
A cyclist was killed in Bury St Edmunds the other day, and people went on the facebook article of the news site and started basically hating on cyclists, saying stuff about how angry they got when they encountered them on the road and other nonsense, and this is an article reporting someone has been killed on our roads. And fine Facebook is a particularly dark corner where internet trolls hangout, but we share the roads with people who do genuinely think that kind of stuff or that attitude is ok.
So when someone near knocks you off your bike like in this situation, and all the police do is say theyve sent a letter, well you know whats the point ?
well you know whats the point ?
I agree that this seems a reasonable view, but we have to fight back against the enemy, and against the offenders as well.
In an easily identifiable, sign written van as well. Obviously not the sharpest tool in the shed.