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news
NMotD 402.PNGNear Miss of the Day 402: Driver cuts straight across cyclist
This may be one of the scariest videos we've seen among the more than 400 and counting we have now featured in our Near Miss of the Day series ... a motorist who apparently simply did not see the cyclist approaching, and drove across a main road into her path; had the cyclist been a second or two further up the road, the consequences are all too imaginable.
This is one of the scariest encounters I’ve had in years of #cycling in #sheffield. Empty road, I’m lit up like an Xmas tree but still this absolutely dangerous twat could not see me.
Surely this counts as driving without due care or dangerous driving @syptweet ? Surely? pic.twitter.com/9YVdHPJmfS— CyclingInASkirt (@CyclingInASkirt) April 29, 2020
Helen, who was on her way to her job in the NHS, told us that it happened on Summerfield Street in Sheffield this morning.
“This stretch is downhill so already a nightmare as you have to be on your brakes the whole way down due to these junctions and bell-ends that don’t look,” she said
“I’m used to it, but even by usual low awful standards this was damn scary.”
> 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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30 comments
i suspect driver did see her, but also possibly didnt look properly and there was"saccadic masking" , and then saw her late ?! Not excusing the driver of course - good youtube piece attached, and not too long either https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL_NvUHGgi8
Clearly, a delibrate dangerous manoeuvre by a dangerous cowardice BoyGirlracer, typically revving their engine and showing off the power under their hood, in a terrifying manor.
These sh1tbags are never arrested nor punished appropriately by the law, who mostly and disgracefully side by these abusers - which is why these criminals continue to harm in the 10000s, undetered.
It's unfortunate the camera was not mounted on a helmet where the poor victim may have captured the dangerous driver's vehicle details.
Worthwhile enquiring about any CCTV in the area that may have captured the vehicle's identity.
Agree with @handlebarcam and a couple of others, that's a clear case of looking, seeing the cyclist, wildly misjudging the speed (because cyclists are slow, everyone knows that) and then just flooring it.
There was a descent in south Wales I used to ride occasionally which was notorious amongst the local cycling clubs for this. Long, straight, excellent line of sight but about 2/3rds of the way down it was a road coming in from the right. The number of cars that would pull up to that junction, see a cyclist descending from the left and just pull out anyway. Complete misjudge of speed, no concept that a cyclist can actually do 40+mph.
Ah, yes - the cycling paradox. We're always going too slow and holding traffic up - except when we're riding dangerously fast!
In the same way that cyclists can both be silent and appearing from nowhere while simultaneously being heard all across the neighbourhood as they shout abuse, obscenities and things like "CAR UP!!" to other road users and themselves.
So fast that they whizz and hurtle, while also being so slow that traffic is queuing up behind them for miles.
Invisible in their all-black kit while simultaneously being clad in (always "clad", never just wearing) bright garish spandex.
Never using lights while also always having lights that are dazzling and too bright.
Schrodingers Cyclist.
That was some very well controlled slowing by the cyclist in those conditions, I'd have have totally stacked that!
My feeling is that the driver defo saw the cyclist. Look at the way they accelerated. Another case of 'it's only a bike'.
I totally agree. The car clearly stops and takes the time to look for other traffic and then accelerates HARD. A calous attitude that puts a life at risk for the sake of waiting a few seconds.
Another sentient car.
Very presumptious! I disagree.
It is equally likely the nearside A pillar and door mirror combined to cause a large blind spot.
Mordern cars with enhanced rollover strength have much thicker A, B and C pillars that cause significant blind spots.
Absolute rubbish. There is no way the driver would not have seen the cyclist from that position no matter what the design of the car. As others have said, s/he's stopped to check, clocked the cyclist, totally misjudged the speed and thought they could get across, hence the squealing acceleration when they realise their error.
You are kidding right? You don't have a clear view of the road, but go anyway? And then floor it? Of course very logical.
All very presumptious!!
There have been many occassions when drivers have deliberately pulled out in front of me when they it was clear that had seen me.
But I am also very aware of the blind spots for drivers.
The nearside A pillar and door mirror are one of the major ones.
You must have huge door mirrors.
If only there were a way of mitigating such issues...
Standard procedure ! (are you new to this cycling lark ?!)
Many people lack proper driving skills and ability - I was a police driving instructor and regularly failed police drivers attempting to qualify as advanced drivers; note,all those police had driving licences and drove regular police cars as well as their civilian vehicles. A bicycle can easily be unseen due to A pillars and/or door mirrors - as a commuter cyclist,I always assume I haven't been seen by vehicle drivers at intersections and always slow in readiness for evading a vehicle.
Despite knowing there is a blind-spot, doing nothing to account for it just isn't a valid defense. irrespective of cyclist/empty road.
Who said it was a valid defense? his comment related to a common place occurence,which cyclists need to be aware of and use defensive riding tactics,so as to avoid crashing as a result of bad driving; obviously,the driver failing to give way is committing a traffic offense but that's not the point.
Modern? I think not.
I first noticed bulky A pillars when my employer replaced my Cortina and gave me a Sierra. That was almost 40 years ago. You'd think manufacturers would have come up with a solution by now but I guess it's more important to protect the occupants of their vehicles than to protect the rest of us from drivers' mistakes.
Agreed; it is likely the driver saw the cyclist after moving into the intersection,as the engine suddenly was given full acceleration at that point,from the sound of the exhaust.
It seems the driver saw the cyclist after moving into the intersection,as the engine suddenly was given full acceleration at that point,from the sound of the exhaust.
Some people seem to think that no cyclist is capable of more than about 12kph. That is why they do stupid things to avoid being "stuck" behind us, and possibly why drivers like this one think they have plenty of time to pull out of side streets in front of us.
Sadly, in many cases the lesson they learn from such incidents is not "I need to be more observant and patient in the future" but instead something more along the lines of "I'm glad I bought this expensive car with its powerful engine so I could get out of trouble."
Or "my tank is "safe" (for me that is) so I can do what the hell I like"
Helen, thank you for working for us in the NHS, I and many others are so grateful to you. We need to take this opportunity of fewer cars to demand better facilities for cyclists, something supported by the majority, and most of the people in the NHS, who understand how beneficial it is.
I undertand that reporting this to the police would not be useful, but please pass the vid on to your MP, the local council, doctors and your colleagues, to show them how much determination it takes to ride a bike, and to demonstrate the size of the problem. If we can get enough people on board now, we can really make a difference and get the government's record road spending transferred to active travel instead.
Shame no chance of the reg.
I'm guessing that they could not see past the pillar and were unwilling to move their body to ensure they could.
Or "no cars, must be ok".
Stay at home, protect the NHS.
Maybe not in reality, but in TV and the movies...
Rotate 75º around the vertical plain...
Fine reactions Helen.
Stay well.
It's almost like they waited to try and get you.
Agree.
There looked to be no other vehicles so time for them to go after you.
If you knew there were traffic lights etc where they were going I'd have chased after them.
Glad you're ok.
Yep, good bike handling that, fast braking response and top bike control given the speed and what looks like a damp road surface too.
Definitely footage to give to the cops. That driving falls well below the standard required.