lorry passing too close

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Psamathe
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by Psamathe »

Raph wrote:I've written a letter to the company but haven't sent it yet, it's moderately friendly, saying I've got the videos ...

When I write to companies about their (bad) drivers I don't make specific statements about what I intend to do. Rather I tend to say e.g. "I thought it best to give you the opportunity to respond and take appropriate action before I pursue the matter further through other means". Chances are they are not aware as to what you could even do, let alone what you intend. I tend to think that if you make specific "threats" then they can think either that "you wont do that" or the "that's not too bad, not going to affect us".

Just my opinion.

Ian
niggle
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by niggle »

squeaker wrote:
Raph wrote:Someone coming up too close from behind is a different issue, there's no evasive action you can take there.

Not strictly true if you are using a rear view mirror and are riding along a road with a soft verge...

or you have left some road space to your left to move into.
Raph
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by Raph »

Leaving it to the possibility that you might have space to your left isn't a particularly good way to regard road safety. And by the way I didn't have any space to the left, there was a kerb. I could have bunny-hopped it I suppose.

PS just dropped in to the local nick, they said definitely ring 101 and report careless driving.
Vorpal
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by Vorpal »

Raph wrote:
Yeah I think in the top trumps of closeness, my example beats that. I'm going to have to post it up! I'll crop the rear facing vid when I have a moment... Meanwhile here's the helmet cam:

Image

That made me suck my breath in, and it's only video! :shock:
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horizon
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by horizon »

Vorpal wrote:That made me suck my breath in, and it's only video! :shock:


Me too. On roads like that (fast but not narrow enough to slow the traffic), I take it car by car: lock onto a car, slow it right down to my speed (about 12 mph), let the others follow through slowly and then lock onto the next one. No-one should drive faster than that on that road next to a vulnerable human being.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Raph
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by Raph »

If you notice just at the moment he passes, the car on the other side squashes right over to give him space to pull out a bit, but he pulls in. It seems as though it's verging on malicious, but I think it's probably just a driver with other priorities.
LollyKat
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by LollyKat »

horizon wrote:On roads like that (fast but not narrow enough to slow the traffic), I take it car by car: lock onto a car, slow it right down to my speed (about 12 mph), let the others follow through slowly and then lock onto the next one. No-one should drive faster than that on that road next to a vulnerable human being.


Sorry - I don't understand what you mean :oops: . Please could you explain a bit more fully.

I can't comment on the video as my machine won't play it :( .
niggle
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by niggle »

Raph wrote:Leaving it to the possibility that you might have space to your left isn't a particularly good way to regard road safety. And by the way I didn't have any space to the left, there was a kerb. I could have bunny-hopped it I suppose.

PS just dropped in to the local nick, they said definitely ring 101 and report careless driving.

If you make sure you do have space to the left and use a mirror then you have somewhere to go to if a pass looks likely to be close or worse. Hard to hold your nerve to take a wider line down that road though (as Horizon is suggesting I think) and a dreadful pass. Like mine this is a tipper truck with no side bars, which seems a greater risk, though I do not know if it actually is.
Raph
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by Raph »

I often ride further out from the kerb so I have a bit of room to move in if someone does come too close, but it's usually when there's a bad road surface or to discourage drivers chancing it when there's a narrow gap and some ambiguity as to whether they can squeeze past or not. But in this case there wasn't any reason for the guy to pass so close, as I mentioned, the car opposite even moved over to give him space to pull out, which he didn't do.

Anyway, it's got a crime reference number now!
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horizon
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by horizon »

LollyKat wrote:
horizon wrote:On roads like that (fast but not narrow enough to slow the traffic), I take it car by car: lock onto a car, slow it right down to my speed (about 12 mph), let the others follow through slowly and then lock onto the next one. No-one should drive faster than that on that road next to a vulnerable human being.


Sorry - I don't understand what you mean :oops: . Please could you explain a bit more fully.

I can't comment on the video as my machine won't play it :( .


Wait for gap, signal to the next oncoming car (however you like), get them to slow down behind you then wave them through (with a thank you) with the other cars following on behind at the speed of the first. Most people get the idea.

It's worth remembering that the first car in a line of cars is usually the slowest and the most amenable to be asked. The fastest, more aggressive drivers are actually held up behind the first car so the first car will do the work for you (if you ask).
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Raph
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by Raph »

OK, at last got round to converting and cropping the rear vid from the 10-minute-long original. Less scary as you can see it approaching.

It's lost a lot of definition in the conversion, on the original the number plates are all very visible.

Image
rmurphy195
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by rmurphy195 »

Have you got one of these in your area? On the list of things to report are collisions and examples of bad driving. Just a thought.

http://www.west-midlands.police.uk/advi ... index.aspx
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IanW
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by IanW »

Every single one of those vehicles (i.e. drivers), not just the final lorry, was breaking the law
(highway code rule 129 https://www.gov.uk/general-rules-all-drivers-riders-103-to-158/lines-and-lane-markings-on-the-road-127-to-132) as it looks to me that the cyclist(s) were almost certainly doing more than 10 mph.

And even if the cyclist(s) were doing less than 10 mph which would then allow the vehicles to legitimately straddle their side solid white line, then highway code rules 163 and 165 clearly apply to this situation (https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/overtaking-162-to-169) but were discinctly not observed / adhered to.

So with video evidence of explicit highway code rule breaking
particularly where the rule is also backed up by road-traffic legislation
I would hope that the police would at least take some action
even if it is just some stern advice to each of the motor vehicle drivers whose number plates could be identified.

But also the OP really needs to ride a little further out from the edge of the road so as to make it very clear that potentially overtaking vehicles do not think that they an squeeze by without having to cross the solid white line(s).

Given how muddy / mucky that road looks I would have ridden down the middle of the relatively clear left-hand motor vehicle tyre track.
Raph
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Re: lorry passing too close

Post by Raph »

Well... I rang 101 and reported it nearly two weeks ago, they rang me the day after to tell me they'd be ringing me in the next few days (yes, really!)... and that's it. No phone call. Trail now gone cold.

Decades ago a drunk driver ploughed right through me, wrecked half the bike. Cos I have very dense bones the motor was dented rather than my leg breaking but I still couldn't walk for a few days, the woman driving didn't even slow down, just drove home and didn't answer the door to police till late the next day, everything pointed to her having been drunk especially as she insisted I'd been walking with the bike rather than riding it but I had a few witnesses to confirm I'd been riding and had lights, plus a sample of paint off the car was taken from my leg by a forensic detective, paint which had got there through my trousers thereby showing the force of impact, so she had definitely hit me as well as the bike... hospital records corroborated the lot... plus even if it had all been my fault she still drove away from an accident... I identified her when she was mentioned on a police radio and went and asked her to settle for the bike and I'd leave it at that but the cops told me they would prosecute her, and meanwhile they advised her not to settle out of court...

Punchline: nothing ever happened. As far as I know she got away with it scott-free. My girlfriend at the time was so pissed off about it that I think it might be part of the reason she took up a new career and she's now an injury lawyer!
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