In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a light on the dangerous driving cyclists experience on British roads, today's might just be a first...

Never before have we had an incident like this one, from County Cork in Ireland, where the motorist involved mistimed their approach to a cyclist (possibly not helped by the van driver close behind) and was forced to brake suddenly having realised there would be no safe way past.

Then, the driver manages to stall their car, restarts, doesn't get let out into the second lane by all the traffic formerly behind them, and caps off the display by seemingly blaming the cyclist for their predicament, blaring the horn on the way past.

With two whole lanes, this idiot mistimes his approach, stalls his car , subsequent traffic won’t let him out and he gets the hump with me.. Classic 🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/h5PuRncJlj (link is external)

— Righttobikeit 🇺🇦 (@righttobikeit) July 18, 2023 (link is external)

Speaking to road.cc, the rider 'Righttobikeit', who regularly uploads footage of dangerous driving from their commutes and has appeared on this website previously, said this road, Carrs Hill on the N28 between Carrigaline and Cork City, has been something of a hotspot for close passes.

"I knew the car was there and heard it stalling," they explained. "The horn blowing prompted me to tag the video timeline so I was able to check back later what all of was going on.

"It's my shortest most direct route to work so I use it regularly but not necessarily every day. I get a lot of criticism for using it but in reality it's not as dangerous as some other routes."

One incident, reported by Righttobikeit, on the same road saw a driver receive a careless driving conviction, €300 fine and five penalty points on their licence.

Informed by Victim Services driver received a careless driving conviction €300 fine +5points . Less than one would think he deserved but a result nonetheless. Best served cold eh? Language alert. @SafeCyclingEire (link is external) @IrishCycle (link is external) @sticky_bottle (link is external) @roadcc (link is external) @IrishCycle (link is external) @ciarancannon (link is external) pic.twitter.com/zTK9Hx48KJ (link is external)

— Righttobikeit 🇺🇦 (@righttobikeit) April 19, 2023 (link is external)

Admitting "the fact that I've psychologically categorised them says a lot", Righttobikeit has two categories for close passes.

They elaborated: "From experience I categorise close passing into two types.. First you have the basic poor driving/judgement etc. for example trying to overtake on a bend and a car suddenly appears and they cut in to avoid a collision. No ill intent but highly unpredictable and dangerous.

"The second is blatant disregard or deliberate intent. This is where there is plenty of space width/distance and good visibility. The driver sees you but just cuts close anyway to intimidate or they just couldn't care less. While these can be scary at the time they are probably less dangerous as the driver is aware of what they are doing and sudden changes in the traffic conditions are unlikely.

"I get a lot of the latter on Carrs Hill which is intimidating but they don't live long in the memory."

Nothing short of criminal from a professional driver fom Emmett Garvey Transport. The sheer size and speed would have made it impossible to abort should he misjudge or something go wrong. @sticky_bottle (link is external) @roadcc (link is external) @SafeCyclingEire (link is external) @IrishCycle (link is external) pic.twitter.com/D0dODZPoHs (link is external)

— Righttobikeit 🇺🇦 (@righttobikeit) March 30, 2021 (link is external)

https://road.cc/content/news/near-miss-day-870-302629

Registry: p/f under Mountain/Molehill/Manufacture

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a
> light on the dangerous driving cyclists experience on British roads,
> today's might just be a first...

> https://road.cc/content/news/near-miss-day-870-302629

--
Spike

Steve K | 1617 posts | 1 hour ago
2 likes

I'm not defending the driver here, but bloody hell that van driver behind is right up his arse. Really dangerous driving.
================
There's too much of that sort of terrible sort of driving out there.

On 19/07/2023 01:39 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a light on the dangerous driving chav-cyclists bring upon themselves on British roads, today's might just be a first...
>
> Never before have we had an incident like this one, from County Cork in Ireland,

My ancestral home.

But you surprise me - I didn't know it was ever a part of the island of
Great Britain.

> where the motorist involved mistimed their approach to a chav-cyclist (possibly not helped by the van driver close behind) and was forced to brake suddenly having realised there would be no safe way past.
>
> Then, the driver manages to stall their car, restarts, doesn't get let out into the second lane by all the traffic formerly behind them, and caps off the display by seemingly blaming the chav-cyclist for their predicament, blaring the horn on the way past.
>
> With two whole lanes, this idiot mistimes his approach, stalls his car , subsequent traffic won’t let him out and he gets the hump with me. Classic 🤣🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/h5PuRncJlj (link is external)
>
> — Righttobikeit 🇺🇦 (@righttobikeit) July 18, 2023 (link is external)
>
> Speaking to road.cc, the chav, 'Righttobikeit', who regularly uploads footage of dangerous driving from their commutes and has appeared on this website previously, said this road, Carrs Hill on the N28 between Carrigaline and Cork City, has been something of a hotspot for close passes.
>
> "I knew the car was there and heard it stalling," they explained. "The horn blowing prompted me to tag the video timeline so I was able to check back later what all of was going on.
>
> "It's my shortest most direct route to work so I use it regularly but not necessarily every day. I get a lot of criticism for using it but in reality it's not as dangerous as some other routes."
>
> One incident, reported by Righttobikeit, on the same road saw a driver receive a careless driving conviction, €300 fine and five penalty points on their licence.
>
> Informed by Victim Services driver received a careless driving conviction €300 fine +5points . Less than one would think he deserved but a result nonetheless. Best served cold eh? Language alert. @SafeCyclingEire (link is external) @IrishCycle (link is external) @sticky_bottle (link is external) @roadcc (link is external) @IrishCycle (link is external) @ciarancannon (link is external) pic.twitter.com/zTK9Hx48KJ (link is external)
>
> — Righttobikeit 🇺🇦 (@righttobikeit) April 19, 2023 (link is external)
>
> Admitting "the fact that I've psychologically categorised them says a lot", Righttobikeit has two categories for close passes.
>
> They elaborated: "From experience I categorise close passing into two types. First you have the basic poor driving/judgement etc. for example trying to overtake on a bend and a car suddenly appears and they cut in to avoid a collision. No ill intent but highly unpredictable and dangerous.
>
> "The second is blatant disregard or deliberate intent. This is where there is plenty of space width/distance and good visibility. The driver sees you but just cuts close anyway to intimidate or they just couldn't care less. While these can be scary at the time they are probably less dangerous as the driver is aware of what they are doing and sudden changes in the traffic conditions are unlikely.
>
> "I get a lot of the latter on Carrs Hill which is intimidating but they don't live long in the memory."
>
> Nothing short of criminal from a professional driver fom Emmett Garvey Transport. The sheer size and speed would have made it impossible to abort should he misjudge or something go wrong. @sticky_bottle (link is external) @roadcc (link is external) @SafeCyclingEire (link is external) @IrishCycle (link is external) pic.twitter.com/D0dODZPoHs (link is external)
>
> — Righttobikeit 🇺🇦 (@righttobikeit) March 30, 2021 (link is external)
>
> https://road.cc/content/news/near-miss-day-870-302629
>

It is one of the most infuriating things we all experience on the roads - and yet almost all of us tailgate others when we are impatient behind the wheel.

Amanda Stephens, a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University's Accident Research Centre, uncovered the reason why people tailgate in a new study.

She said when drivers are in a rush, they feel their time becomes more precious because there is less of it to spare.

Therefore if something or someone infringes on that time, drivers can become increasingly frustrated and aggressive.

A study of real-world driving concluded that speeding and tailgating increased the odds of a crash more than holding or using a mobile phone.

Drivers who tailgated had a 13 to 14-fold increase in the odds of being involved in a crash, compared to driving more responsibly.

Ms Stephens said tailgating is caused by people getting angry at someone getting in between what they are trying to achieve, in this case, the destination.

She said often before you respond to a problem you evaluate what has occurred but when you are driving, you are in a heightened state and there isn't time to critically think about what is going on.

'Usually, before you respond, you evaluate what has happened, asking who is at fault and if they could have done things differently,' Ms Stephens said.

'But when you are driving, you have less time and resources to make detailed evaluations. Instead, you make quick judgements of the situation and how best to deal with it.

'If you are frustrated before getting in the car, you are likely to be easily frustrated while driving, blame other drivers more for your circumstances, and express this through aggressive driving. Tailgating and speeding are examples of this aggression.'

Aggressive tailgating is often seen as a way of getting back at a slow driver and is thought to act as an encouragement to move out of the way or speed up.

However, Ms Stephens said when a driver becomes agitated and angry they underestimate the risk and overestimate how much control they have in the situation.

She said the best way to stay safe behind the wheel is to recognise situations that may lead to your behaviour.

A study with almost 100 self-identified aggressive drivers produced four tips to stay calm behind the wheel, focusing on planning, taking a break, deep breathing and rethinking the situation

Ms Stephens said the best strategy for these self-identified aggressive drivers was what is known as the 5x5x5 strategy.

The strategy makes drivers ask themselves whether the cause of their anger will matter in five minutes, five hours or five days.

If it is deemed unlikely to matter after this time, it isn't worth getting worked up about and is best to let it go.

If the decrease in anger and anxiety on the road isn't enough motivation to quit tailgating, drivers can also face hefty fines.

In NSW, if you are cited for failing to keep the proper distance between your vehicle and another vehicle, the penalty is $448, as well as 3 demerit points.

This is almost the same amount as what it would cost you for exceeding the speed limit by 20-30 km/h, which carries a $455 fine and 4 demerit points.

On 19/07/2023 05:05 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> It is one of the most infuriating things we all experience on the roads - and yet almost all of us tailgate others when we are impatient behind the wheel.
> Amanda Stephens, a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University's Accident Research Centre, uncovered the reason why people tailgate in a new study.

Yet again, you are somewhat stretching the definition of the United Kingdom.

Monash University is in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

It's hard to see from how much further away from the UK your irrelevant
example could have been drawn.

No geographer, are you, May Sun?

On Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at 4:22:19 PM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> Steve K | 1617 posts | 1 hour ago
> 2 likes
>
> I'm not defending the driver here, but bloody hell that van driver behind is right up his arse. Really dangerous driving.
> ================
> There's too much of that sort of terrible sort of driving out there.

The insurance company Churchill revealed that on one day 19,137 cases of tailgating were spotted on three stretches of the M25.

Out of the recorded vehicles, the tailgaters were in cars, with 12,869 spotted, whilst 4,505 Light Good Vehicles (LGVs), such as vans and pick up trucks, were also spotted driving too closely to the vehicle in front.

Nicholas Mantel, the head of Churchill Motor Insurance, explained why tailgating another vehicle is never a good idea.

He said: “Tailgating is a dangerous habit that can lead to serious collisions. It’s often used as a form of aggressive driving to intimidate other drivers to move out of their way or accelerate.

The insurance company Churchill revealed that on one day 19,137 cases of tailgating were spotted on three stretches of the M25.

Out of the recorded vehicles, the tailgaters were in cars, with 12,869 spotted, whilst 4,505 Light Good Vehicles (LGVs), such as vans and pick up trucks, were also spotted driving too closely to the vehicle in front.

Nicholas Mantel, the head of Churchill Motor Insurance, explained why tailgating another vehicle is never a good idea.

He said: “Tailgating is a dangerous habit that can lead to serious collisions. It’s often used as a form of aggressive driving to intimidate other drivers to move out of their way or accelerate.

“However, some drivers may unintentionally invade another vehicle’s space simply by being unaware of the appropriate braking distance needed between them and the vehicle in front.”

According to the Highway Code, you should always allow yourself a two second gap between the front of your vehicle and the back of the one in front.

However, in some circumstances, such as when it is raining or the roads are icy, you should give yourself a bigger gap as stopping distances may be compromised.

If someone is tailgating your vehicle, National Highways recommends that you should continue to drive normally, and not let their driving style affect your speed.

Nicholas highlighted how dangerous tailgating can be and advised drivers what to do in order to avoid it.

He explained: “Not providing adequate braking distance between vehicles can prove fatal on motorways.

“The best rule of thumb is not to be a space invader, stay back, allowing at least a two second gap between you and the vehicle in front, and stay within the speed limit.”

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:

> It is one of the most infuriating things we all experience on the roads -
> and yet almost all of us tailgate others when we are impatient behind the wheel.

> Amanda Stephens, a Senior Research Fellow at Monash University's Accident
> Research Centre, uncovered the reason why people tailgate in a new study.

> She said when drivers are in a rush, they feel their time becomes more
> precious because there is less of it to spare.

> Therefore if something or someone infringes on that time, drivers can
> become increasingly frustrated and aggressive.

> A study of real-world driving concluded that speeding and tailgating
> increased the odds of a crash more than holding or using a mobile phone.

> Drivers who tailgated had a 13 to 14-fold increase in the odds of being
> involved in a crash, compared to driving more responsibly.

Ah! So that’s why the peloton collapses regularly!

Thanks for sharing.

--
Spike

On Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at 5:38:02 PM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Wednesday, July 19, 2023 at 4:22:19 PM UTC+1, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > Steve K | 1617 posts | 1 hour ago
> > 2 likes
> >
> > I'm not defending the driver here, but bloody hell that van driver behind is right up his arse. Really dangerous driving.

They are the motoring offences often witnessed on the roads and ones that, most of the time, drivers will get away with. But you never quite know who is watching and drivers who perform dangerous or sneaky manoeuvres have ended up getting into trouble.

Whether it be down to impatience, carelessness or downright recklessness, these actions have no place on the roads but chances are if you drive you will have witnessed at least some of these. We asked West Midlands Police how many offences of driving without due care and attention were recorded in 2022.

The force said there 882 of these offences last year - more than two every day on average. But the offence of "drive a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road/in a public place without due care and attention" covers a wide range of actions.

These include driving too slowly, lane hogging and failing to give way. And if motorists perform these moves in the view of police, they can expect to get into trouble.

Motoring organisation the AA listed some of the reasons drivers could be pulled over and fined for driving without due care and attention. These include:

Tailgating
Not giving way at a junction
Overtaking and forcing your way into a queue of traffic
Using the wrong lane at a roundabout
Ignoring a lane closed sign and forcing your way into an orderly queue
Lane hogging
Inappropriate speed
Overtaking on the inside
Wheel spins
Hand brake turns
Operating a satnav or reading a map while driving
Eating or drinking at the wheel
Lane hopping or weaving
Overtaking and causing an approaching vehicle or overtaken vehicle to brake
Smoking and driving
Running a red light

Those who get done for driving without due care and attention can expect to be fined and/or given penalty points. The AA adds on its website: "Careless driving is more than just bad habits or irritating drivers.

"It’s when someone’s driving falls below what’s expected of a competent and careful driver and instead they drive without due care and attention."

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black-country/driving-slowly-tailgating-lane-hogging-27260416

On 19/07/2023 16:55, JNugent wrote:
> On 19/07/2023 01:39 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>
>> In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a
>> light on the dangerous driving chav-cyclists bring upon themselves on
>> British roads, today's might just be a first...
>>
>> Never before have we had an incident like this one, from County Cork
>> in Ireland,
>
> My ancestral home.
>
> But you surprise me - I didn't know it was ever a part of the island of
> Great Britain.

Or even stretching ,and allowing a bit of ignorance as to the difference
between the UK and Great Britain, it is not even part of the UK. It's an
entirely different country.

On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 12:39:43 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
> Or even stretching ,and allowing a bit of ignorance as to the difference
> between the UK and Great Britain, it is not even part of the UK. It's an
> entirely different country.

It's an Irish plate (10 = year, C = Cork, 9631 = 9631st vehicle registered in Cork that year), in Ireland.

On 20/07/2023 13:59, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 12:39:43 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>> Or even stretching ,and allowing a bit of ignorance as to the difference
>> between the UK and Great Britain, it is not even part of the UK. It's an
>> entirely different country.
>
> It's an Irish plate (10 = year, C = Cork, 9631 = 9631st vehicle registered in Cork that year), in Ireland.

"In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a
light on the dangerous driving cyclists experience on BRITISH roads,
today's might just be a first..."

Since when was Eire (The free state if you prefer), part of Britain?

OK i know independence was only gained in the 1920s but Eire has not
been part of Britain in nearly 100 years

EK Spinner | 573 posts | 2 hours ago
3 likes

Plenty lack of foresight and very poor driving on display here, the only bit I would (nearly) excuse is the van driver pulling out on the orange car, the orange car was still in lane 1 (as were the other vehicles behind) when the van started to pull out, and with there being a left curve on the road were probably not visible in his drivers door mirror when he started his manoeuvre.

But looking at the incident as a whole there were just so many classic short sighted impatient selfish driving errors on display. All of this could have been eliminated by looking ahead, anticipating what might happen and having time to allow for it.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> EK Spinner | 573 posts | 2 hours ago
> 3 likes
>
> Plenty lack of foresight and very poor driving on display here, the only
> bit I would (nearly) excuse is the van driver pulling out on the orange
> car, the orange car was still in lane 1 (as were the other vehicles
> behind) when the van started to pull out, and with there being a left
> curve on the road were probably not visible in his drivers door mirror
> when he started his manoeuvre.
>
> But looking at the incident as a whole there were just so many classic
> short sighted impatient selfish driving errors on display. All of this
> could have been eliminated by looking ahead, anticipating what might
> happen and having time to allow for it.

Classic short sighted impatient selfish cyclists don’t look ahead or
anticipate what might happen, so why can’t other people?

--
Spike

On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 3:39:14 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
> On 20/07/2023 13:59, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> > On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 12:39:43 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
> >> Or even stretching ,and allowing a bit of ignorance as to the difference
> >> between the UK and Great Britain, it is not even part of the UK. It's an
> >> entirely different country.
> >
> > It's an Irish plate (10 = year, C = Cork, 9631 = 9631st vehicle registered in Cork that year), in Ireland.
> "In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a
> light on the dangerous driving cyclists experience on BRITISH roads,
> today's might just be a first..."
> Since when was Eire (The free state if you prefer), part of Britain?
>
> OK i know independence was only gained in the 1920s but Eire has not
> been part of Britain in nearly 100 years

Éire is still part of the BRITISH ISLES.

swldx...@gmail.com <swldxer1958@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 3:39:14 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>> On 20/07/2023 13:59, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>>> On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 12:39:43 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>>>> Or even stretching ,and allowing a bit of ignorance as to the difference
>>>> between the UK and Great Britain, it is not even part of the UK. It's an
>>>> entirely different country.
>>>
>>> It's an Irish plate (10 = year, C = Cork, 9631 = 9631st vehicle
>>> registered in Cork that year), in Ireland.
>> "In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a
>> light on the dangerous driving cyclists experience on BRITISH roads,
>> today's might just be a first..."
>> Since when was Eire (The free state if you prefer), part of Britain?
>>
>> OK i know independence was only gained in the 1920s but Eire has not
>> been part of Britain in nearly 100 years
>
> Éire is still part of the BRITISH ISLES.

That’s a GEOGRAPHICAL grouping, not a POLITICAL one.

--
Spike

On 20/07/2023 01:59 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 12:39:43 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:

>> Or even stretching ,and allowing a bit of ignorance as to the difference
>> between the UK and Great Britain, it is not even part of the UK. It's an
>> entirely different country.
>
> It's an Irish plate (10 = year, C = Cork, 9631 = 9631st vehicle registered in Cork that year), in Ireland.

So not British (never was) and not the United Kingdom (since over a
hundred years ago)?

On 20/07/2023 04:18 pm, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:

> EK Spinner | 573 posts | 2 hours ago
> 3 likes
>
> Plenty lack of foresight and very poor driving on display here, the only bit I would (nearly) excuse is the van driver pulling out on the orange car, the orange car was still in lane 1 (as were the other vehicles behind) when the van started to pull out, and with there being a left curve on the road were probably not visible in his drivers door mirror when he started his manoeuvre.
>
> But looking at the incident as a whole there were just so many classic short sighted impatient selfish driving errors on display. All of this could have been eliminated by looking ahead, anticipating what might happen and having time to allow for it.

And chavs-on-bikes NEVER fail to keep a lookout, do they?

When they're staring at the ground beneath their pedals, they have some
magical sense of what is happening ahead?

And it would be totally impossible to cite (say) a YouTube video of a
chav cycling into the back of a parked car?

Pretty sure most of the accepted narrative in the story, both from how it was reported by both the OP, the article and comments were:
Driver had to bail overtake and brake.
Van driver was too close to car in front.
Van driver did a shit manouvre for the car behind.
Car driver stalled car as forgot to change gear down.
Car driver shouldn't have beeped horn at cyclist who did nothing wrong.

Now what is so different then Jimmy's take? (apart from them being foreigners because he hadn't actually read the article to see it was taken in Ireland). Obviously Jimmy seems to think that because it is in NMOTD, it must have been harmful to the cyclist but sometimes they are just used to show weird driving around cyclists.

On 20/07/2023 18:32, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 3:39:14 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>> On 20/07/2023 13:59, swldx...@gmail.com wrote:
>>> On Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 12:39:43 PM UTC+1, soup wrote:
>>>> Or even stretching ,and allowing a bit of ignorance as to the difference
>>>> between the UK and Great Britain, it is not even part of the UK. It's an
>>>> entirely different country.
>>>
>>> It's an Irish plate (10 = year, C = Cork, 9631 = 9631st vehicle registered in Cork that year), in Ireland.
>> "In nearly 900 editions of our Near Miss of the Day series, shining a
>> light on the dangerous driving cyclists experience on BRITISH roads,
>> today's might just be a first..."
>> Since when was Eire (The free state if you prefer), part of Britain?
>>
>> OK i know independence was only gained in the 1920s but Eire has not
>> been part of Britain in nearly 100 years
>
> Éire is still part of the BRITISH ISLES.

True, but IT IS NOT PART OF BRITAIN.