Close passes - advice and a rant!

[Arjimlad]

Avon and Somerset's reporting tool records a near miss if you don't have footage. Whether the driver faces any consequences I doubt.

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

How do you come to the belief?

Because if I believed everyone was out to get me, it would make a pretty depressing out look on life.

 

[Enlightenedwaistcoat]

Avon and Somerset's reporting tool records a near miss if you don't have footage. Whether the driver faces any consequences I doubt.

Meh, may as well report - nowt to lose other than a bit of my afternoon!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Because if I believed everyone was out to get me, it would make a pretty depressing out look on life.

They are not the two options though. It’s not a binary they don’t realise vs. Out to get you.

 

[Drago]

Avon and Somerset's reporting tool records a near miss if you don't have footage. Whether the driver faces any consequences I doubt.

It would be unlikely.

They won't give a finger wagging without evidence, as people tend to abuse it to score points off either other.

And one person's word against the word of another, with no supporting evidence, does not meet the threshold for a prosecution.

Even if the suspect admits it there will be no prosecution without evidence. This prevents the risk of the suspect changing their mind and going not guilty once it gets to court, and prevents the from fitting people up by squeezing confessions from vulnerable folk who may not fully understand the consequences of their words.

 

[Enlightenedwaistcoat]

It would be unlikely.

They won't give a finger wagging without evidence, as people tend to abuse it to score points off either other.

And one person's word against the word of another, with no supporting evidence, does not meet the threshold for a prosecution.

Even if the suspect admits it there will be no prosecution without evidence. This prevents the risk of the suspect changing their mind and going not guilty once it gets to court, and prevents the from fitting people up by squeezing confessions from vulnerable folk who may not fully understand the consequences of their words.

I reported it and got a call off GMP a bit later on. They said they had logged it as an incident in the event the guy is involved in something similar and is able to provide evidence. Suppose I ought to be grateful someone even rang me back 🤷‍♂️

 

[Drago]

Theyre just placating you. Even if he does something really bad later that does not add any evidence to your incident, and that which you witnessed won't be evidentially useful to anything he does later. It'll get logged on the local system for 'intelligence' purposes, and that'll be it.

 

[alex_cycles]

Probably just as good sticking a PassPixi sign to your clothing or bike pannier (if you have one).

Thanks ianrauk for mentioning PassPixi. Hadn't heard of them before. I've been riding with cameras front and back for a couple of years and often thought to myself "I bet if I made a jersey with a speed camera sign on the back it would let motorists know I have cameras and they'd be nicer".

Well now I can try it without much effort. I've now got one on the way. Thanks again.

To the OP. I often get VERY annoyed with close passes, but most of the time I really only bother looking at footage and reporting the really bad ones - particularly from professional drivers who should know better (e.g. lorries and buses - but don't blame ME for the shortage of HGV drivers ).
The vast majority, I find it better for my mental health to just "let it go" and try to forget about them and immerse myself in the ride.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I got a couple of PassPixi signs, although I do minimal cycling on 'trafficed' roads. However when I go to Lidl, I need to do about 500m on a busy road and there is one turn off (to an estate) which is immediately preceded by a pinch point on the form of a traffic island for pedestrians crossing. I always shrink into myself a little for those few yards as there will inevitably be someone trying to squeeze past where they very obviously shouldn't. And tbh they do usually give up and fall back again, haha.

Since I've had the PassPixi on the back of my shopping carrier (which is cable-tied to my bike rack) there has been not ONE instance of me feeling the need to shrink into myself as the drivers simply don't bother trying until after the pinch point. I can only ascribe that to the presence of the PassPixi sign. And I do have a second rear light fastened to my carrier, too, which I've been told 'looks a bit like it might be a bullet camera'.

So that's a win/win!

 

[Arjimlad]

I understand that there have been various studies all proving that the main effective deterrent for bad drivers is the likelihood of being caught, and the Passpixi lobs that fairly clearly into the mix.

I've found it very effective.

 

[Scaleyback]

I'm 74 and ride 'the roads' 5 or 6 days a week (wind & weather permitting)
Up here in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire we are 'blessed' with relatively light traffic and the vast majority of drivers are careful & considerate.
However, I have certainly become increasingly circumspect as I have got older and I now ride with front and rear cameras and I have a PassPixi.

Hidden cameras serve a purpose 'after the event' but imo drivers who know they are being filmed are far more likely to drive sensibly.
I have run this setup for approx two years now, I have reported a couple of drivers to North Yorkshire's Operation Spartan 'Shielding vulnerable drivers' and I know 1 driver was ordered to attend a driving course. I have also reported a couple of vehicles emblazoned with their company name direct to said company and both times received apologies and assurances that the drivers will be 'spoken to'
I read a few posts where members seem to believe it's best to 'learn from the experience' or move on and forget it etc well each to their own
but I think we all have a 'duty' to help keep "vulnerable users' safer in any small way that we can. I am cetainly not advocating riders make it their mission in life ! that could easily become counter productive.

 

[Enlightenedwaistcoat]

I'm 74 and ride 'the roads' 5 or 6 days a week (wind & weather permitting)
Up here in Richmondshire, North Yorkshire we are 'blessed' with relatively light traffic and the vast majority of drivers are careful & considerate.
However, I have certainly become increasingly circumspect as I have got older and I now ride with front and rear cameras and I have a PassPixi.
View attachment 615146

Hidden cameras serve a purpose 'after the event' but imo drivers who know they are being filmed are far more likely to drive sensibly.
I have run this setup for approx two years now, I have reported a couple of drivers to North Yorkshire's Operation Spartan 'Shielding vulnerable drivers' and I know 1 driver was ordered to attend a driving course. I have also reported a couple of vehicles emblazoned with their company name direct to said company and both times received apologies and assurances that the drivers will be 'spoken to'
I read a few posts where members seem to believe it's best to 'learn from the experience' or move on and forget it etc well each to their own
but I think we all have a 'duty' to help keep "vulnerable users' safer in any small way that we can. I am cetainly not advocating riders make it their mission in life ! that could easily become counter productive.

I did the same with a liveried vehicle the other week - I was in my car and they were behaving like an idiot around both me and the guy on a bicycle in front, so I reported them to the business. Received assurances that they'd be spoken to.

 

[alex_cycles]

--- SNIP ---
I have a PassPixi.

Hidden cameras serve a purpose 'after the event' but imo drivers who know they are being filmed are far more likely to drive sensibly.

I got my PassPixi on Friday (the Evo - which clips on a jersey pocket). I've been out with it three times so far and it does feel as if it "gives most drivers pause". By which I mean ordinary drivers are giving me more space on overtakes, being more cautious about when they overtake and some are even using their indicators. Of course there are still a few dickheads. I don't think you will ever change the behaviour of them.

At some point I'm going to film riding the same stretch of road on the same day with and without the PassPixi and see if there's a visible difference in the passing distance. It certainly FEELs as if I'm being given a lot more space than before.

It was interesting on Saturday's group ride that when I was on the back we generally got passed "very nicely" but not so much at other times.
Need to do something for drivers coming towards as well.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I got my PassPixi on Friday (the Evo - which clips on a jersey pocket). I've been out with it three times so far and it does feel as if it "gives most drivers pause". By which I mean ordinary drivers are giving me more space on overtakes, being more cautious about when they overtake and some are even using their indicators. Of course there are still a few dickheads. I don't think you will ever change the behaviour of them.

At some point I'm going to film riding the same stretch of road on the same day with and without the PassPixi and see if there's a visible difference in the passing distance. It certainly FEELs as if I'm being given a lot more space than before.

It was interesting on Saturday's group ride that when I was on the back we generally got passed "very nicely" but not so much at other times.
Need to do something for drivers coming towards as well.

I'd be very interested to hear your conclusions about passing with and without the passpixi when you have it recorded on video. I too feel that I am passed more safely - ie often not passed - on the short distance I ride on the busy road, but it is very hard to be objective about it over such a short distance.

 

[Dale 1956]

Posting this here as not sure where else to put it, so I'm sorry if this kind of thing isn't meant for this section of the forum. I'm terrified enough as it is on the roads but try to put it out of mind as I tend to have a good time when I'm out and credit where it's due, a lot of people are courteous. However, I was out yesterday morning just for a trip into town to pick something up - largely uneventful apart from my trip back right near home. On my way back there's a downhill under a rail bridge so the road is pretty narrow (and visibility is pretty poor for overtaking drivers) , followed by a short uphill with a couple of islands for ped crossings as you go over the motorway and then a longish drag before I turn off. I'm well away from this bit by the time something happened - the road was empty apart from me and a guy in a black BMW comes up from behind, slows and then passes so close I could have probably touched the car. It absolutely felt deliberate given there was ample space for him to cross to the opposite lane. Anyway it's shoot me up a bit and once again I'm terrified of putting my life in my hands just to go out for what should be an enjoyable cycle. I now can't stop thinking about this incident and keep thinking 'what if he'd hit me?'.

I really didn't want to have to get a camera because why should I? Its one more thing to have to carry plus its unlikely to stop people endangering me. Plus, it's sort of luck of the draw as to whether the police will even do anything with the footage (the area is covered by GMP).

Sorry for the rant. I guess I'm asking if we think me getting a camera will help me feel better about almost being run off the roads by self-gratification artists. I haven't been cycling all that long and I really don't want this kind of thing to make me stop doing it.

I know you feel I was hit by a woman that was 71 and texing back in 2015 I'm lucky to be here today ... If you get a camera on your bicycle you will be to darn scared to ride once you watch a video you made your self.