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news
(Not so) Near Miss of the Day 496: Driver deliberately slams on brakes, causing cyclist to crash
The latest video in our Near Miss of the Day series starts with a driver overtaking a couple of cyclists dangerously - and ends with the motorist shortly afterwards slamming his brakes on without warning, causing one of the riders to crash.
It was filmed in Dorney, Buckinghamshire yesterday by road.cc reader Lyndon (and is the second video from him we have featured this week), who told us: "I had an encounter today which I'd consider a hit and run.
"It was a nice day so a friend and I decided to head down to Windsor, Berkshire. Just outside of Dorney Lake, a white BMW followed passed very closely.
"I knew there was a busy junction ahead and figured I'd catch the driver up at the junction and tell them to be more considerate.
"When I got near the the car, he saw me and brake checked me, and I went into the back of him. If you play the video slowly, you can see him looking in his wing mirror as I am falling down.
"I am completely dumbfounded as not only did the collision make a loud bang, that the passenger in the vehicle did not encourage him to stop at the scene.
"It's a sad state of affairs when someone knocks a cyclist down and leaves them in the road.
"I have sent the footage to the police, full files of front and rear footage where the faces of the driver and passenger are visible. I can only hope Thames Valley Police will prosecute him," he added.
"I do not understand how someone who behaves this way is permitted to use a vehicle on public roads."
> 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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75 comments
Having been on the wrong end of one of these incidents:
https://road.cc/content/news/270977-brake-checking-motorist-deliberately...
I can fully sympathise and hope that in your case the motorist gets some love and attention from the local constabulary. Whilst I got a bit trolled in the comments, one point did stick with me about the red mist coming down and questioning what exactly it was I planning to do once I'd caught up with the driver?
HP wrote before that he doesn't interact with drivers anymore, just gets the footage. I try now just to just get their face and no more after one nmotd where the cyclist simply says "thanks, I just wanted your face for the camera".
I think you have to sit down at home in peace and quiet and make a decision that from now (nearly) no matter what happens you will just let the camera do the talking.
it is harder to do than say. I want to stop swearing as much as I do, but sometimes it's just a reaction. but good advice
Have been there myself, police were absolutely useless, refusing to take any action as the driver would inevitably claim they had to brake for a dog.
I wouldn't have cycled that close to the car. I don't know the reason for the traffic cones, but they would indicate that more caution/observation than normal is needed. There is also a bigger gap than you would expect to the next car suggesting something is going to happen.
It's hard though after initial punishment pass to control that adrenalin flow. Hopefully the driver will be prosecuted for the initial pass.
The paused still rear shows driver smirking at the start of the manoeuvre,purposely very close..police need to issue at least a warning. The BMW is even fitted with a dash cam, calculable evidence. Serious injury could have been caused. There's a cyclist coming the other way too on the "overtake"!
The brake check where the rider landed in the middle of the road potential for injury from passing vehicle too.
This driver is dangerous and should be held responsible for their deliberate actions.
good luck!
Given my experience of submissions to Thames Valley Police, I think they would have done something about the close pass. If you've got the cameras, that's the best way to educate a driver. Remonstrating at the time is not going to work.
No excuse for the brake check, causing an accident and then leaving the scene though. Pretty blatent. Hopefully the police will act on that too.
If there is any damage to yourself or bike, you could start a civil action against the driver for damages. You can request their details directly from the DVLA using this form:
https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla
It's a quere one in a way, yes the driver did a close pass and something should be done to him as he has issues with cyclist. But we shouldn't chace down the car as shit happens and this may infulance the police more then the bad and dangrous driving, which is wrong. Then the morron brake checks a felow road user, some people will say he as too close but a brake check is dangrous driving and he should be done for it. Will he be done for it? if Lanc's I would doubt it.
Vile behaviour from the Beemer driver.
I do worry that the rozzers will use the travelling too close excuse on the brake testing. Fingers crossed the driver gets prosecuted.
Might be worth making a claim on their insurance. Get photos of the bike and any injuries.
Yet again, the common thread. BMW. Say no more.
Sorry that's a silly comment. Its the same attitude that says all cyclists jump red light. We need to be better than cheap stereotyping.
It's not silly. Watch the NMOTD and see what make of car makes up the vast majority. You must drive a BMW
I watched the last 5 - precisely 1 Beemer. It's called confirmation bias - look it up rather than posting trash.
The other 4 were Audis 😉
I agree with that too- also Golfs with more than 1 exhaust pipe (or anything with more than 1)
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