Near Miss of the Day 363: White van man in ultra-close pass - but police say cyclist at fault (includes swearing)

Whilst I appreciate the advice can work, this is pretty much what happened to me yesterday.

I was further out than Robert, and the van was a 10T rigid truck. My bailout came in the form of a bus stop just before the pinch point.

I don't think position would have changed much other than the severity of the contact. That's my opinion at least.

The police response is basically aiding and abetting, but not uncommon and a primary reason I haven't bought a camera - I don't think I could contain myself in Roberts position, and that wouldn't end well for me.

Sometimes discretion is the better part of valour. If I've got anything alongside me as I approach a pinch point, I back off, and let them go. I shouldn't have to, but when push comes to shove, 2+ tonnes of idiot guided missile is always going to win, and you'll only get one chance to find out, so that's that.

Assuming you have ample time to react and the experience to recognise the situation early enough.

A lot of prerequisites for riding a bike.

I get that it's a good survival technique for the short term, but worry the further you bend over, the more you'll be expected too.

kt26 wrote:

I get that it's a good survival technique for the short term, but worry the further you bend over, the more you'll be expected too.

And the more it's sending the message to drivers that they can drive how they like as cyclists will get out of their way. That's why it's all the more appalling that the police have taken no action in this case; effectively condoning motorists running cyclists off the road.

Precisely. Letting people get away with this just means someone else down the line gets hurt.

[/quote] And the more it's sending the message to drivers that they can drive how they like as cyclists will get out of their way. That's why it's all the more appalling that the police have taken no action in this case; effectively condoning motorists running cyclists off the road.[/quote]

yeah, there's drivers all over  GB getting a message that they can drive how they like against cyclists ....seriously. Your making such a huge fucking generalisation about drivers . I have meet with  plenty of drivers including black taxi cabs who stop for a chat at the lights and say " be safe" " be careful "  and we have a nice chat .  If I make a error I apologise and most times I get a nice response " no worries mate etc"  and if I have to confront a driver , very rare ,I never shout and I start by saying I understand your position I drive  a car myself . if you can just make sure next time you take a look before you pull out etc etc " works every time I always get an apology.  
so where's all these killer  drivers  out to get cyclists? 
who gives a fuck about what the police say anyway ,they have just became revenue agents for there local authorities.  
Don't be a angry cyclist .Be a smart one. 

Sounds like we have had very different experiences. I'll admit those who came to my aid after I was wipeout by a driver failing to yield at a junction did a great job.

Otherwise my experience has been contempt and disdain, culminating in a confrontation in which the psychopath behind the wheel thought it was funny that I was forced to take avoiding action, laughed at the idea of killing me and then drove into my leg.

I was hit 3 times in the space of a year, all from vehicles failing to yeild, with not much I could do about it. I've revisited those moments in my head constantly to see if I could have done something different, for a while after I was brake before every junction I passed subconsciously, until I was aware I was creating danger as the vehicle behind would not expect me to slow suddenly.
I still have PTSD which means I won't travel home at rush hour, and have anxiety attacks.

While I haven't been hit in a while I have had more near misses than I'd care to recount. My relative luck is due to defensive riding, self preservation and a sense of duty to my partner to come home in one piece, but it doesn't change the fear I feel when I've had to take a bailout, knowing how wrong it could have gone.

On top of this I hear anti cyclist rhetoric far too often, from people who seem to think its appropriate to joke about hitting cyclists when they learn that I cycle.

I am impressed you have had such different experiences, long may they continue - I wouldn't wish mine on anyone.