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Near Miss of the Day 194: Close pass at night (includes extreme swearing)

Our regular feature highlighting close passes caught on camera from around the country – today it’s Bristol

The latest video in our Near MIss of the Day series shows a driver making a close pass on a cyclist - then cutting across him and stopping to berate him for swearing at her.

It happened in North Bristol  on 31 August and was submitted by a road.cc reader who wishes to remain anonymous.

"Bit sweary, I’m afraid, as these things seem so much worse in the dark.," he said  "I was quite scared, as you can hear from my voice.  

"Reported to Avon & Somerset police and apparently resulted in a warning letter to the driver.  

"Responding officer claimed that there were no 'aggravating factors - swerving into the path of the cyclist you have just close-passed and braking apparently does not count …"
 

> 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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47 comments

Avatar
dassie | 6 years ago
1 like

It seemed the motorist cut back in to avoid going over the middle of the speed humps.  Very poor driving.

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vonhelmet | 6 years ago
0 likes

I had to fill out a big form to report on getting hit by a car. There’s a bit where it asks what was said between the people involved in the crash. I had to write The driver said “I’m so sorry”, and I said “You fucking well should be.” So far the police have sent the driver on a driver improvement course. No word on a public order charge against me for my use of foul language.

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Redvee | 6 years ago
1 like

Quite surprised the officer dealing with this didn't speak to the cyclist about his language, not the choice of words. When I had a deliberate close pass the driver changed from lane two into lane one where I was and has he passed he made excessive use of the horn and the officer dealing with it did warn me for calling the driver a w^^^%$ when he was a good 2 seconds away in his car with all windows wound up. The officer said he could have heard me adn reacted to such language. FFS

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Eton Rifle replied to Redvee | 6 years ago
3 likes

Redvee wrote:

Quite surprised the officer dealing with this didn't speak to the cyclist about his language, not the choice of words. When I had a deliberate close pass the driver changed from lane two into lane one where I was and has he passed he made excessive use of the horn and the officer dealing with it did warn me for calling the driver a w^^^%$ when he was a good 2 seconds away in his car with all windows wound up. The officer said he could have heard me adn reacted to such language. FFS

In the report to the police I did actually apologise for my language.  In the heat of the moment, one does not generally mentally sort through all the available swear words in order to select the one that suits the political correctness of the day.  Happy to help. 

Like dreamy, you seem to be focussing on the wrong thing.  It's a bit like complaining that the Wehrmacht weren't kind to animals when they occupied Poland. 

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Redvee | 6 years ago
1 like

Is today's near miss number 194 or is tomorrows near miss number 194?

 

https://road.cc/content/news/249962-near-miss-day-194-driver-pulls-out-c...

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ktache | 6 years ago
7 likes

What suprises me is dreamy's use of the word when they object so strongly to the word.  We can infer the word, it's easy, I've just done it 3 times.  We all know what I'm talking about.

The motorist is displaying that massive impatience and self importance, which upon the slightest critisism evaporates and they then waste their ever so valuble time objecting that anyone could find fault in their awful behaviour.

It is my belief that Eton Rifle was entirely justified in using whatever description of the motorist he wished upon the initial egregious actions, the brake test and the threatening reverse by the miscreant just proves the point.

 

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dreamy replied to ktache | 6 years ago
0 likes
ktache wrote:

What suprises me is dreamy's use of the word when they object so strongly to the word.  We can infer the word, it's easy, I've just done it 3 times.  We all know what I'm talking about.

The motorist is displaying that massive impatience and self importance, which upon the slightest critisism evaporates and they then waste their ever so valuble time objecting that anyone could find fault in their awful behaviour.

It is my belief that Eton Rifle was entirely justified in using whatever description of the motorist he wished upon the initial egregious actions, the brake test and the threatening reverse by the miscreant just proves the point.

 

True. Me using the word was trying to highlight how vulgar it is. It was a error in judgement and I apologize.

Welcome to the circle. Likes to follow

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Awavey | 6 years ago
2 likes

im not sure if its a good sign or a bad one that this is the only aspect of the video being most hotly debated, but fwiw imo hearing the actual swear word used really doesnt add much to the purpose of the video, it was showing a close pass, the rider reacted perhaps using stronger language than most of us would instantly resort to, but the car driver hears it (miraculously) and a debate ensues.

but ultimately its a video showing a close pass and poor driving, not a how colourful can our use of language and is it better than Ryan Reynolds use of the word in Blade 3 style video

Id have bleeped it personally as theres enough context there to understand what happened. others may have different attitudes or views on it

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Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
3 likes

What's with all the hiding behind 'road.cc's brand'  as reasoning for objection.  Road.cc will probably be loving this we are all 'engaging' and 'driving traffic'.

If road.cc had a brand it would be aligned with recycling given most feature articles are rehashes.

I would like to think this is all poor quality trolling but these days you can never really tell if some crybaby is actually offended. You could imagine them watching some war footage in middle of a battle and objecting to the soldiers swearing or something daft. "John's had his legs blown off but they didn't have to swear about it"

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FluffyKittenofT... replied to Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
0 likes

Yorkshire wallet wrote:

You could imagine them watching some war footage in middle of a battle and objecting to the soldiers swearing or something daft. "John's had his legs blown off but they didn't have to swear about it"

 

Funnily enough, when the veterans whose experiences were depicted in the Band Of Brothers miniseries saw the show, the one thing many of them objected to was the foul language they were depicted as using.  They strongly disapproved of it and insisted they didn't use such unnacceptable words.

 

  That's despite that dialog partly being based on contemporaneous accounts written by some of their own. Either those accounts were spiced up by the soldiers writing them at the time, or it was a case of their older selves being disgusted at their younger selves for swearing in response to being shot at.

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vonhelmet | 6 years ago
6 likes

Can’t call a driver a cunt in case they’re a woman.

Can’t call a driver a bastard in case their parentage is unknown.

Can’t call a driver a fucking idiot in case they have an IQ of under 25 and are engaged in sexual activity.

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FluffyKittenofT... | 6 years ago
7 likes

I do think it would be misogyny if shouted in the knowledge that the driver was a woman.  But I expect it was just yelled at a generic dangerous driver of unknown sex.

 

My experience is that, generally, in this country the word is almost always directed at men (very much unlike in the US where it seems to be a more distinctly misogynist term used at women). 

 

Maybe I'm sheltered but to me it seems rare for a man to knowingly direct it at a woman. (Though I hear women chuck it at both men and women quite often - my neighbour screams it at her boyfriend and others on occasion - am I supposed to go have a word with her and explain that it's misogynist?  I suspect she'd not take it well).

 

 I'm might get slated for it, but I agree It's a questionable term, and I try not to use it myself (my ex- used to use it all the time, but my rationale is it's like black people and the n-word, women have c-word privileges!).  But people are imperfect and under pressure (like nearly being hit by a car) the word is going to slip out, becuase it's inculcated in us that it's the word for expressing extreme feelings.

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Yorkshire wallet | 6 years ago
3 likes

Post pics Dreamy, I want to see your tits.

Only joking

//static.nautil.us/10977_7ca5eb06feca2d4d2029ef99de456a25.jpg)

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davel | 6 years ago
3 likes

In my experience, there are loads of cunts who are actually offended by the word 'cunt'. This thread is an illustration. 

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dreamy replied to davel | 6 years ago
0 likes
davel wrote:

In my experience, there are loads of cunts who are actually offended by the word 'cunt'. This thread is an illustration. 

I guess everyone needs a place where they find themselves accepted with like minded others, this is your place. Enjoy it.

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davel replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
1 like

dreamy wrote:
davel wrote:

In my experience, there are loads of cunts who are actually offended by the word 'cunt'. This thread is an illustration. 

I guess everyone needs a place where they find themselves accepted with like minded others, this is your place. Enjoy it.

I only come here to challenge all the stereotypes.

 

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don simon fbpe replied to davel | 6 years ago
2 likes

davel wrote:

dreamy wrote:
davel wrote:

In my experience, there are loads of cunts who are actually offended by the word 'cunt'. This thread is an illustration. 

I guess everyone needs a place where they find themselves accepted with like minded others, this is your place. Enjoy it.

I only come here to challenge all the stereotypes.

 

I think "cunts" should be banned.

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dreamy | 6 years ago
0 likes

Sorry to interrupt the circle jerk boys.

I really like this website. It should better than this.

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Hirsute replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
2 likes

dreamy wrote:

Sorry to interrupt the circle jerk boys. I really like this website. It should better than this.

circle jerk is OK but supposed misogynistic comments are not. OK.

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dreamy replied to Hirsute | 6 years ago
0 likes
hirsute wrote:

dreamy wrote:

Sorry to interrupt the circle jerk boys. I really like this website. It should better than this.

circle jerk is OK but supposed misogynistic comments are not. OK.

Lol. Oppressed white man?

Avatar
Hirsute replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
5 likes

dreamy wrote:
hirsute wrote:

dreamy wrote:

Sorry to interrupt the circle jerk boys. I really like this website. It should better than this.

circle jerk is OK but supposed misogynistic comments are not. OK.

Lol. Oppressed white man?

Just pointing out your contradictory stance.

It was obvious that the rider had no idea who was driving the time of the incident which has subsequently been confimed by the rider in the comments.

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dreamy replied to Hirsute | 6 years ago
0 likes
hirsute wrote:

dreamy wrote:
hirsute wrote:

dreamy wrote:

Sorry to interrupt the circle jerk boys. I really like this website. It should better than this.

circle jerk is OK but supposed misogynistic comments are not. OK.

Lol. Oppressed white man?

Just pointing out you contradictory stance.

It was obvious that the rider had no idea who was driving the time of the incident which has subsequently been confimed by the rider in the comments.

True, what are the chances?

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brooksby replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
1 like

dreamy wrote:

Sorry to interrupt the circle jerk boys. I really like this website. It should better than this.

And yet it *was* an appalling piece of driving, so certainly meets the NPOTD criteria.

How would you suggest they show it, if you find the language to be problematic? It loses its point if you silence it.

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Yorkshire wallet replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
3 likes

dreamy wrote:

Sorry to interrupt the circle jerk boys. I really like this website. It should better than this.

When someone nearly runs you over you can call them whatever you want, you cunt. Only joking.

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dreamy | 6 years ago
0 likes

Don't post it. It's misogyny.

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Mungecrundle replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
4 likes
dreamy wrote:

Don't post it. It's misogyny.

Don't watch it. It's voyeurism.

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Russell Orgazoid replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
4 likes

dreamy wrote:

Don't post it. It's misogyny.

You miss the point of the clip, drama queen.

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vonhelmet | 6 years ago
4 likes

I’m sure she’ll get over it.

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dreamy replied to vonhelmet | 6 years ago
0 likes
vonhelmet wrote:

I’m sure she’ll get over it.

Not to bothered about her feelings. This is a video posted by road.cc. it's of bad driving. I think the reversing is worse than the over take.

It's also of a man calling a women a cunt. I think it tarnishes the road.cc brand.

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davel replied to dreamy | 6 years ago
2 likes

dreamy wrote:
vonhelmet wrote:

I’m sure she’ll get over it.

Not to bothered about her feelings. This is a video posted by road.cc. it's of bad driving. I think the reversing is worse than the over take. It's also of a man calling a women a cunt. I think it tarnishes the road.cc brand.

They put an 'extreme swearing' warning on it. The swear is in the context of a pretty extreme interaction: it isn't solely of a man swearing at a woman.

How should they have censored it? 

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