Changed behaviour after reporting close pass

[Arjimlad]

This vehicle scared me silly with a fast close pass last year. I reported the incident at the time and was told it had a positive outcome of a warning or prosecution.

This evening I was delighted to see how safely it was being driven around me, waiting patiently for me to clear some bends before executing a lovely wide pass.


View: https://youtu.be/AWbEBH7YKeY

 

[Brandane]

The vehicle looks like it isn't privately owned, therefore could it just be a case of a different driver this time?
Nice to think that a warning might have had some effect all the same.

 

[PeteXXX]

This happened to a friend of mine and his riding partner. They often meet up at 06.00 for a 30 miler before work.
Same route, generally, but always starting along the same road. A chap in a local engineering company van (on Brackmills, Northampton) close passed all the time at a great rate of knots..
My friend borrowed my camera and recorded a couple of them and approached the local plod.
They visited the company and must have said some magical words as, ever since then, the van driver passed them slowly and with much more care.
No idea if any penalties were heaped on the driver in question.

 

[Arjimlad]

The vehicle looks like it isn't privately owned, therefore could it just be a case of a different driver this time?
Nice to think that a warning might have had some effect all the same.

It parks fairly local to my home, I've seen it about a few times but yesterday this was just so good !

 

[Arjimlad]

This happened to a friend of mine and his riding partner. They often meet up at 06.00 for a 30 miler before work.
Same route, generally, but always starting along the same road. A chap in a local engineering company van (on Brackmills, Northampton) close passed all the time at a great rate of knots..
My friend borrowed my camera and recorded a couple of them and approached the local plod.
They visited the company and must have said some magical words as, ever since then, the van driver passed them slowly and with much more care.
No idea if any penalties were heaped on the driver in question.

Unless the driver's clearly deliberately dangerous, then I really don't care about penalties as long as the driving changes for the better. This is not the first driver I have seen make big improvements after a police report or as in your example, employer involvement too. Whether they're genuinely remorseful on seeing stills from the video, or just worried about getting caught on camera again is immaterial as long as the driving improves. And they tell their chums sometimes...

 

[PeteXXX]

Unless the driver's clearly deliberately dangerous, then I really don't care about penalties as long as the driving changes for the better. This is not the first driver I have seen make big improvements after a police report or as in your example, employer involvement too. Whether they're genuinely remorseful on seeing stills from the video, or just worried about getting caught on camera again is immaterial as long as the driving improves. And they tell their chums sometimes...

The first port of call for the police would be the company to identify the driver at the time of the incident. They, (the company) would not want their name dragged into anything like this so they'd have a word with the driver in question, no doubt.
Good result all round I reckon.

 

[Drago]

A very rare, albeit extremely welcome, result. Most drivers don't give a sheet about any sanction short of a Court visit, and even some of them don't care.

 

[Mo1959]

A very rare, albeit extremely welcome, result. Most drivers don't give a sheet about any sanction short of a Court visit, and even some of them don't care.

Another thing that bothers me is if they get hacked off at getting pulled up, the next pass might be much closer!

 

[Arjimlad]

Another thing that bothers me is if they get hacked off at getting pulled up, the next pass might be much closer!

I understand but I don't think it's a likely outcome for most recipients. I've only ever seen the opposite reaction - better driving.

They get a warning letter from the police, which has been drawn up in consultation with a leading traffic transport and environmental psychologist who's also a world record holding endurance cyclist, and still images from the video, and then go out & do it again... ?

I know there are many people out there this stupid and obstinate but they must be a small proportion of those I report. The NIP form is also rather scary & the last one I saw also included stills from the video, so if someone is idiotic enough to repeat their actions they never know when they'll be caught again & deserve all the points they can get.

 

[Brandane]

In Scotland, there is currently a campaign on TV and radio called "give cycle space". I wonder if it is having any effect? Can't say I've noticed much difference, but then I avoid road cycling anyway, and certainly avoid busy trunk routes.

 

[Arjimlad]

In Scotland, there is currently a campaign on TV and radio called "give cycle space". I wonder if it is having any effect? Can't say I've noticed much difference, but then I avoid road cycling anyway, and certainly avoid busy trunk routes.

Sadly Police Scotland does not have an online reporting facility for uploading footage of dangerous drivers yet. Without enforcement it's pretty useless, I reckon.

 

[Legomutton]

There are so many cycles on the country roads where I live that I can see how frustration gets the better of drivers, even those disposed to be considerate. It's not unusual to follow a cycle for say 1/4 mile and then, at what would be the first overtaking opportunity, to see two or three more oncoming cycles that prevent a pass.

I think most of it is ignorance rather than malice and those people, prompted to think about it and maybe made aware of why cyclists ride 'out' or abreast deliberately at times, are happy to take it on board.

In the days of quieter roads and slower traffic the default for many drivers seemed to be that cycles, if they stayed left, basically required no course deviation so could more or less be ignored as long as they didn't actually hit them. This persists I think with some older drivers - it's surprising how often the 'offenders' are mature people rather than young hotheads.

A good friend is an excellent driver in almost every way but a year or two back when I was a passenger with him he was quite impatient about a pair riding abreast around a series of bends. They were probably doing close to 20mph anyway, clearly experienced cyclists and I said "don't worry, they'll single out on the straight bit by the church" which they did. I explained why I would do something similar. He got it immediately.

Another chap I know well, with a very distinctive car, passed me at c. 50mph and facing oncoming traffic, staying on my side of the road and probably giving me perhaps a yard of clearance. At that speed of course it feels like a foot. I know him to be a laid back, thoughtful sort of chap and when I told him how scary it was (he doesn't cycle AFAIK) he apologised and took it very positively.

Of course there is a minority who are just sociopaths and they are the ones who need enforcement, not just education.

If possible I raise a hand to a driver who has waited to make a safe pass. We shouldn't have to, but thanks cost nothing and who doesn't like getting a thank-you? One who recognised me later commented on how unusual this is, yet horse riders almost always do it. Stereotyping of drivers or cyclists doesn't help.

 

[Gillstay]

We got passed by 8 or 10 supercars twice on some peak district back roads, which are not two cars wide and the width of the cars and their speed which was easily close to 100 mph plus made it terrifying. They were driving up the arse of each other showing off so one guy in an M5 did not see us till the car in front pulled out slightly to pass us and then he just missed the bars of mine and the guy behind me. Sadly Cheshire police were not interested, despite them coming from there. Derbyshire police were more so and others had reported them as well. Hopefully they got talked too.

 

[burntoutbanger]

Won't go into much detail but some of the worst close passes I've had have been from motorcyclists. I'm always slightly surprised that they do it but then maybe motorcyclists don't get overtaken often themselves so don't realise how unsettling it can be?

 

[classic33]

There are so many cycles on the country roads where I live that I can see how frustration gets the better of drivers, even those disposed to be considerate. It's not unusual to follow a cycle for say 1/4 mile and then, at what would be the first overtaking opportunity, to see two or three more oncoming cycles that prevent a pass.

I think most of it is ignorance rather than malice and those people, prompted to think about it and maybe made aware of why cyclists ride 'out' or abreast deliberately at times, are happy to take it on board.

In the days of quieter roads and slower traffic the default for many drivers seemed to be that cycles, if they stayed left, basically required no course deviation so could more or less be ignored as long as they didn't actually hit them. This persists I think with some older drivers - it's surprising how often the 'offenders' are mature people rather than young hotheads.

A good friend is an excellent driver in almost every way but a year or two back when I was a passenger with him he was quite impatient about a pair riding abreast around a series of bends. They were probably doing close to 20mph anyway, clearly experienced cyclists and I said "don't worry, they'll single out on the straight bit by the church" which they did. I explained why I would do something similar. He got it immediately.

Another chap I know well, with a very distinctive car, passed me at c. 50mph and facing oncoming traffic, staying on my side of the road and probably giving me perhaps a yard of clearance. At that speed of course it feels like a foot. I know him to be a laid back, thoughtful sort of chap and when I told him how scary it was (he doesn't cycle AFAIK) he apologised and took it very positively.

Of course there is a minority who are just sociopaths and they are the ones who need enforcement, not just education.

If possible I raise a hand to a driver who has waited to make a safe pass. We shouldn't have to, but thanks cost nothing and who doesn't like getting a thank-you? One who recognised me later commented on how unusual this is, yet horse riders almost always do it. Stereotyping of drivers or cyclists doesn't help.

Whose to say that the cyclist, being the lead vehicle, didn't pull in after seeing the approaching group. Having seen them before the car driver, and acted accordingly.