Near Miss of the Day 152: Co-op lorry driver in close pass

The Bristol Post picked up this story and one of their commenters started quoting HC about slow vehicles pulling over and letting queues of traffic pass!?  They ignored the HC about overtaking as that wouldn't fit their narrative, and seemed to entirely miss the point that it was an otherwise empty road - which is usually nose to tail motor traffic - at six in the morning...   Idiots.

One of the guys in work saw this video and said the HGV was nowhere near the cyclist but not having seen the video at the time I didn't make a comment.

Given my employer I won't say much more on the incident but will be taking the details into work on Wednesday as I work at the same depot where this driver is based.

I'd definitely say it is worth reporting to their employers.

About six or seven years ago I had a very similar pass from a refuse lorry. It started off okay width wise but oncoming traffic meant he started to pull in on me and I honestly thought the rear end was going to tag my handlebar and drag me under the wheels.

I emailed the youtube link to the company with the reg, details etc that afternoon.

The next day I got a call from the driver himself apologising. He admitted he'd made a stupid mistake by not judging my speed and overtaking with oncoming traffic but felt that he still made the maneuver relatively safely as he thought he'd left me enough room. 

That was until he watched the video and seeing things from my perspective he could realise how close and scary it really was and would never ever take that sort of risk again. I could tell from the way we spoke the video had actually shaken him up.

I was happy that he'd understood and thought that was the end of it.

A week later though I got a phone call from his Transport Manager who had been on holiday when the incident happened. He'd viewed the footage and had suspended the driver without pay for two days. 

A lesson for the driver he said and a statement to the other staff that driving like that would not be tolerated.

He also asked if he could use the video for driver training. 

All in all it was the best possible outcome in my eyes.  

I understand your concern for the driver's livelihood. However if it is a first offence as it were then (s)he is unlikely to get more than a warning and that is the end of it. If it is another in a long line of complaints against him / her then they really need to be moved to other duties before someone gets hurt.

Indeed, we've all got bills to pay, we all make mistakes, no one deserves to lose their job  life

"He told us: “No other vehicles on the road at all, no need really. I’ve not reported it as, yes he’s made a mistake, but no one deserves to lose their job or get grief over something like that. We all make them."

Sorry, but I fundamentally disagree with not reporting this, at least to his employers.   The driver probably doesn't know what they did wrong, and unless they are told about it, they'll do it again, and again and again until they kill someone, but that'll be a bit late.

At the very least send a report to the Co-op including the vid, so that they can update the driver's skills and prevent it happening again. 

How will you feel when you read about a Co-op lorry being involved in the death of a cyclist, when you could have prevented it?

I didn't recognise the Gloucester Road with no cars on it!

Should have been on a horse.