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news
Near Miss of the Day 709: Driver advised to read Highway Code...but no further action for traffic island close pass
No further action for this driver's dangerous close pass approaching a traffic island, just a stern warning to refresh themselves on the Highway Code.
So what does the newly-revised Highway Code say about overtaking cyclists?
As per Rule 163...
Give motorcyclists, cyclists, horse riders and horse drawn vehicles at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
As a guide: − leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds.
You should wait behind the motorcyclist, cyclist, horse rider, horse drawn vehicle or pedestrian and not overtake if it is unsafe or not possible to meet these clearances.
road.cc reader John was riding in primary position, as advised by the Highway Code when "at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you".
This footage came from last summer, before the changes were outlined, but three weeks after submitting the footage, John was told the driver had been "very apologetic" and "would be investing in a copy of the Highway Code".
"For an incident like this, education is the best result," John concluded.
> 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
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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13 comments
primary position, as advised by the Highway Code when "at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you"
You need a lot of caution trying that sort of thing in cyclist-hating Lancashire- and that's just the police! (OK, so it's an old joke!). This is Discovery L20 TYL approaching the humped canal bridge and if an oncoming vehicle was encountered the Disco driver would simply drive over the cyclist, and Lancashire Constabulary would trot out the routine insincere 'our thoughts are with the family of the deceased'
John was told the driver had been "very apologetic" and "would be investing in a copy of the Highway Code"
The stern warning is just PR bollocks aimed at placating cyclists by pretending they've done something. I think the police just write down 'driver apologised' whether he did or not- an apology is completely worthless just like the joke penalties and the driver is not deterred from repeating the offence. Does apologising work for speeding, or for anything else except Prime Minister's holding drinks parties during a strict lockdown?!
Hopefully the police advised the motorist to wait until April before forking out for a copy in the shops, given that's when the new version hits them, and to consult the online edition in the meantime? No?
What, no cursing?
So many drivers like this, just so oblivious. I can imagine they're also the type who don't give way at parked cars and just drive straight towards you at 30mph, because there's 'enough room' for a bike.
Thansk to sriracha and hp, I now use one of those small endbar mirrors. Handy for this situation to check behind and adjust position to deter drivers.
From the looks of it the rider did adjust their position on the approach to the island and it did nothing to deter the driver. Some people, like beetlejuice, will see the moving into primary position as the cyclist being deliberately confrontational, because they expect the cyclist to let them through no matter what.
I've been in a similar situation where a driver attempted a move like that ..... which they misjudged badly, thankfully they chose to hit the traffic island and not me. I was however subject to a barrage of abuse when they stopped in a bus stop 100m further down the road with a flat tyre and possibly a broken wheel.
Sorry, but I would have loved to have seen that!
I wasn't aiming to criticise the cyclist. I get fewer surprises now I can quickly glance down.
Here's my one from last year. They braked in the end rather than hit me or the street furniture !
Had similar indicating and approaching a right hand turn off in Carrickfergus, with a central refuge just before the junction. There seems to be a special kind of boy racer attitude that's very prevalent in Northern Ireland, resulting in a very close pass on my left hand side, right at the pinch point. The satisfying crunch of alloy wheel against kerbstone was just what I needed to boost my resolve before dragging myself up the Woodburn Road.
In a split group of 5 emerging from a side road, I tried the primary position block to stop an aggressive van overtaking into oncoming traffic - it didn't work, and the driver then gave the two in front about a foot with no oncoming traffic.
Basically, the 1 in a hundred driver is coming through regardless, and if you get in their way, their mentality is that it is your fault.
Oh dear, what a shame, never mind eh.
Haven't logged in for ages, but saw this and was reminded of a similar event.
I was close passed at a junction by a driver who then turned right straight into a traffic island. After checking they were okay (yes, no concussion), that their car would move to the side of the road (yes, despite a crumpled front end), and a reminder to look at the world around them, not their phone, I went on my way.