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news
Near Miss of the Day 886: Fast close pass at pinch point – but driver only gets warning letter due to stretched police resources
Pretty much anyone who rides a bike in Britain’s towns and cities will know the feeling – you’re approaching a point in the road where the carriageway narrows to create a pinch point due to a traffic island and hear a driver rev their car’s engine behind you before choosing that exact point to overtake.
That’s the scenario in today’s video in our Near Miss of the Day series, filmed last August in Surbiton, southwest London, by road.cc reader SRanger, who said he was disappointed that the driver received no more than a warning letter from police due to their stretched resources.
“I am reaching out to bring attention to a concerning incident of a driver overtaking me too closely that occurred almost five months ago, captured on camera during cycling," he told us.
“Despite the elapsed time, I believe sharing this footage remains relevant for raising awareness about road safety.”
The footage shows that the driver, who passed SRanger with just inches to spare, was clearly travelling well in excess of the 20mph speed limit on the road where the incident happened, although as we often see in such cases, the cyclist – who then received another close pass from a different motorist, also at a traffic island – caught up with him at a set of traffic lights shortly afterwards.
Pointing out that he is supposed to allow at least 1.5 metres when overtaking, the driver aggressively repeats the phrase, “What is it?” before telling SRanger, before shouting “Move my f*cking” car, the pair heading their different ways at the junction, but not before the cyclist tells the driver, “I’m calling the police.”
In the video posted to YouTube, SRanger says: “The Met Prosecutions told me that the driver was issued with a warning letter because they were overwhelmed with reports.
“This was disappointing to hear as warning letters are useless in changing the behaviour of drivers but at least something was done. You can blame the government for police funding cuts.
“As for the gentleman, I really do hope he changes his behaviour or he will eventually be prosecuted,” 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 Twitter or 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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28 comments
Driver behaviour can suggest that they don't have insurance, road tax or a valid licence so it's good to keep away. But do follow up with the police for this reason.
Consider a citizens arrest next time.
Consider it, but definitely don't do it.
Nope, trying a citizen's arrest is likely to escalate the situation and some drivers tend to get very defensive and aggressive when challenged. Leave it to the police.
The Police do the minimum as you have found out, for safe future riding, at the very least take the centre of the lane well in advance of approaching pinch points and also where minor roads join the major road (for visibility purposes) and never ride in the door zone.
In actuality, just take primary. I do.
A couple of points. First consider yourselves lucky you've got a portal to report on the unashamedly anti cyclist Polis Scotland point blank refuse to set one up. Going do far as sticking two fingers up to cyclists in doing so. I can only presume to use us as a pawn in the funding game they're playing with Scottish Government.
Second, surely this is a perfect example of how forces UK wide should be increasing efficiency by introducing new tech and proces and procedures. I.E. does it really have to be an expensive experienced cop to view these. Surely cheaper properly trained support staff could quickly go through submissions sorting and processing. If required then involve a Polis person for those to be prosecuted. And I'd appreciate a better informed person to inform me if it is required. As presumably prosecution involves CPS in England and Wales and PF in Scotland. If so what role does the Polis person fulfill?
Or is the Polis want to hang onto power?
I would also add that a police crime number should be issued too. It is after all a crime that is being reported. Also provide feedback.
Aye. But Polis Scotland will also demand an independent witness to corroborate your evidence.
Another advert for vigilantism
Let's not be overly harsh on those who have conditions - the driver clearly has a stutter.
Certainly agree it's a terrible pass by the driver - but these are precisely the situations where I would be moving across into primary to remove the opportunity for total dicks to make the pass in the first place.
We all deserve to be treated fairly and to be able to ride safely without incident, but a bit of savvy road-sense goes a long way too. You just know there will be idiots who will pass at a pinch point so with that knowledge minimise the risk.
It doesn't remove the opportunity for them to be total dicks in that situation, it only makes some of them pause, some of them carry on regardless.
The likelihood of someone deliberately driving into the back of you it much less than them attempting to squeeze past you if they can. So it does reduce the opportunity. Some people will be dicks but far fewer of them are totally reckless
they dont tend to drive into the back of you no, though Im sure the flatbed truck driver I had behind me yesterday was seriously contemplating it.
but Ive had enough close encounters in those situations riding prime, to recognise plenty will still attempt to squeeze through any hint of gap thats left, even if there wasnt one big enough anymore.
might it have helped in this specific case, probably, given the relative position of the bike in the pinch point when the car passes, but thats about as good as it gets, and the driver will then still more than likely close pass you out the other side to pay you back for daring to delay them slightly.
its far from the fix it gets presented to be, just a bike length back in positioning and even in prime, that driver at that speed is driving through there ahead of the cyclist.
i did quite clearly state 'these are precisely the situations' . It isnt always the case but, as i said, this IS the type of situation In which It's best to take primary.
"Guv, we're getting loads of reports coming in of crime [xyz] on our patch."
"I know Constable; too many in fact. That's why I ask you all not to pursue the issue, to save police time."
That seems like the polar opposite of how to set priorities!
"I know Constable; too many in fact. That's why I ask you all not to pursue the issue, to save police time."
That's exactly the thinking behind OpSnap Lancs!
Appalling driving. If you're a confident enough rider get in the middle of the lane before these islands. Appreciate that isn't always possible if someone is coming up fast and close behind.
+1 for the positioning...always take primary through the pinch points, deters potential close passes
After that little encounter, I think I would have got off the road until sure they were gone, too…
And the VW in the advance box, and the little SUV doing a perfect MGIF before the traffic island.
But cyclists run red lighhhhhttttssss!!!!!!!!!
Also illegally smoking with a child in the vehicle; archetypal feckless father.
Good spot - Section 95 of the Children and Families Act 2014, if anyone is interested. (I worked on that Act
)
2006 BMW - sign of a scrote.
In a car a general sign of a scrote.
Institutionally anti-cyclist
Institutionally anti-anyone. I believe the correct term is selfish c**t