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news
Near Miss of the Day 732: “Some drivers are just arseholes”
“Some drivers are just arseholes” is one of the subtitles that a road.cc reader gave this video of him getting a close pass from a van driver in Willenhall near Walsall.
Brendon, the road.cc reader who was on the receiving end of the close pass and took the footage told us: “It was 1st March and I’d decided today was the day to go into the office for the first time in 2022.
“It was a beautiful morning, and for the most part the ride was glorious as I rode from Warwick to Binley Woods (edge of Coventry).
“The roads were relatively quiet but as I went through a tight bridge in Willenhall a white van man must have got annoyed at the few seconds he had lost behind me and drove past me really close …. so much so that it caused me to wobble.
“I’ve reported the close pass to West Mercia Police via the Nextbase upload service, but have not heard any other feedback,” he added.'
> 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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13 comments
Why was this reported to West Mercia? As someone mentioned it is Willenhall, Coventry which is either West Midlands or maybe Warwickshire Police. If it went to Mercia, they wouldn't do anything and it might be too late now for other forces even if they were interested in doing something.
It is easy to get into the mindset that bad driving is directed at cyclists, but just to make you realise that bad drivers are intolerant of anyone and everyone, take a look through these clips:
https://youtu.be/1eHUnO06NzY
I couldn't face watching to the end - though the Honda Jazz driver who blows a fuse at being flashed for a dangerous roundabout pass and spends 5 minutes brake testing the guy who spends the same amount of time flashing his lights winding the guy up further might feel reminiscent of what happens when we moan about a close pass - if you are in such a hurry, why is there so much time to spend trying to get rear-ended?
It's not quite been 14 days, so still time for a NIP to be issued. I would call 101 and ask for a case update. Ask them directly if a NIP has been sent out.
In an ideal world, every submission would be scrutinised and acted on. But the reality is 'he who shouts loudest is heard'. So shout!
I would call 101 and ask for a case update. Ask them directly if a NIP has been sent out
Is this another manifestation of An Alternate Universe? Try this here and you'll spend an aeon on the phone and end up with a refusal- they don't reply to emails or any other forms of communication
Well, I accept that Lancs. might be an outlier case, but I've had some success being vocal with Thames Valley. It's certainly worth trying a polite nudge.
I’ve reported the close pass to West Mercia Police via the Nextbase upload service, but have not heard any other feedback
That means you probably won't get any action or respnse at all, but I'll be pleased to hear I'm wrong...
Driver is, of course, very guilty
I thimk you've got the wrong Willenhall. The one in the video is near Coventry, not Walsall.
And if it happened in the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, report it to Offa - he might throw the driver in his dyke.
Onto or over it? Offa's Dyke is a raised earthwork, not a ditch.
Edit: I realise I have just door-mirrored you and apologise.
There is a fine line between humourful and humourless pedantry. I always look for and see the former, it is one of the joys in my life
Well...it's got an associated ditch, that earth had to come from somewhere!
I thought we were saving that for Boris.
Sounds like the joke that got edited out of "The Great Escape"...
"Where are we going to put the soil, from the tunnel?"
"We could dig another tunnel, and put it in there..."