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Original poster

Near miss with cyclist - worried

26 replies

Bebop123 · 05/09/2023 19:01

Hi all, name changed just in case.

So today I was driving along and there were two cars in front of me. Grey car in front of me and red car front of the grey one.

Red car driving really slow like 10 - 15mph, very close to the kerb, kept slowing down then slightly speeding up. I wondered if they were looking for something. Kept driving along and went through traffic lights. Soon after grey car went round them.
I carried on behind red car then they slowed right down and to the kerb so i thought they'd finally found what they needed, car was just rolling to (I thought) a stop.

I then went to go round the car. Road ahead was clear, in the distance there is a bend but had enough room to safely go round, and get back on the left before the bend.
So I go. Red car then starts to move so I put my foot down and ended up moving back left later than I wanted to.
Bicycle coming round the bend followed by a car. I managed to slip back to the left but the man on the bike shouted oiiiii really loud and I feel bloody terrible now!

Other than wishing there was some way to apologise - can I get in trouble for this? I'm so worried but thought it was safe and also that the red car was stopping 🙈🙈

OP posts:
Catsafterme · 05/09/2023 22:51

I think you'll be alright, happens all the time and likely didn't get your plate. Been there behind a car faffing about who then decides to speed up as you pass.

He likely just had a moan about it but upside didn't hit him I guess.

VeniVidiWeeWee · 05/09/2023 23:44

Depends if he's a Jeremy vine type with a helmet cam.

frisseaze · 05/09/2023 23:47

FFS are people not trained to drive safely anymore! You are a danger on the roads to pedestrians, horses, tractors, cyclists and drivers. You potentially could have killed any one of thpse.

Bromptotoo · 06/09/2023 08:37

I'd have shouted oy!! too but it was the kind of holes in the cheese thing that can happen to anybody.

Even if he had a helmet camera AND he reports you the chances of the evidence being enough to prosecute are pretty slim.

If you get a Notice of Intended Prosecution, or are visited by the police, come back to us!!

AllOfThemWitches · 06/09/2023 08:40

He probably just got a fright, at least you didn't deliberately upset him like some drivers do to cyclists.

WalkingThroughTreacle · 06/09/2023 08:50

I doubt you'll get into trouble on this occasion. However, I don't agree with the "it could happen to anyone" viewpoint. You made a careless maneuverer that put other road users at risk, that's the bottom line. The erratic/slow driving of the red car is not a mitigation for your recklessness, quite the opposite. When another car is behaving in any way out of the norm that is when you should be exercising even greater care and leaving more room, and you did not. You claim you had enough room before the bend to get round the red car but events proved very clearly that you did not. You should have allowed for the possibility that they could have sped up/pulled out or any other number of things and factored that into your decision making.

Almost all accidents are unavoidable. We use the term accident too much to avoid blame but invariably accidents are a consequence of poor decisions somewhere down the line.

PosterBoy · 06/09/2023 09:01

This is your mind telling you that you fucked up. Rather than worrying about 'outside consequences ' (unlikely), reflect on why you overtook on a bend when someone was obviously driving erratically. Do better next time.

We all make mistakes but it's important to reflect on how to prevent them happening again.

Original poster
Bebop123 · 06/09/2023 17:05

Catsafterme · 05/09/2023 22:51

I think you'll be alright, happens all the time and likely didn't get your plate. Been there behind a car faffing about who then decides to speed up as you pass.

He likely just had a moan about it but upside didn't hit him I guess.

Yeah the red car was literally doing 2mph at this point so I thought they were going to stop where they were. Didn't expect them to move again so thought it was safe to go round!

OP posts:
Original poster
Bebop123 · 06/09/2023 17:09

Just to clarify for those who are saying it was a reckless manoeuvre - I know this road well, it's a fairly long road and I knew where the bend was - hence saying it was in the distance not right in front of me, obviously if I was close to the bend and the car was still moving I wouldn't have gone round.

As it was - the car was about to stop and from where they were was plenty of time/ space to move back over before the bend. What I didn't expect to happen was the car to then move again thus closing my gap and making it more difficult to move over.

For those of you saying I shouldn't have gone round, if you believe a car is about to pull over to stop at the kerb, there's nothing coming the other way, would you just sit there and wait to see if they get out the car? Or go round??

I didn't just decide to drive on the other side of the road for the fun of it, the point of the post was I feel awful for making the guy on the bike scared!

OP posts:
DivingForLove · 06/09/2023 17:12

If the car started to move you should have dropped back behind it. As a cyclist that would have scared the shit out of me to come round a bend and be confronted by a car head on.

Jeremy Vine type? 🙄

caerdydd12 · 06/09/2023 17:18

Bebop123 · 06/09/2023 17:09

Just to clarify for those who are saying it was a reckless manoeuvre - I know this road well, it's a fairly long road and I knew where the bend was - hence saying it was in the distance not right in front of me, obviously if I was close to the bend and the car was still moving I wouldn't have gone round.

As it was - the car was about to stop and from where they were was plenty of time/ space to move back over before the bend. What I didn't expect to happen was the car to then move again thus closing my gap and making it more difficult to move over.

For those of you saying I shouldn't have gone round, if you believe a car is about to pull over to stop at the kerb, there's nothing coming the other way, would you just sit there and wait to see if they get out the car? Or go round??

I didn't just decide to drive on the other side of the road for the fun of it, the point of the post was I feel awful for making the guy on the bike scared!

But they clearly didn't stop did they? Why didn't you wait to see if the car actually pulled to a stop? Were they even indicating? Did you indicate to go round?

Givemepickles · 06/09/2023 17:19

The Red car is at fault, not you. A car who has pulled over should check and indicate before starting off again. At the very least they should be aware you were overtaking and wait to be safe. They should also be aware that they were causing a potential accident by the way they were driving. Its not acceptable to drive at 2mph.

DivingForLove · 06/09/2023 17:21

@Givemepickles that’s not how the police would have seen it if she’d hit the cyclist head on.

Givemepickles · 06/09/2023 17:23

@DivingForLove maybe, but I don't know. The OP says she was safe to overtake. The reason it became unsafe was because a pulled over car started going again on her left, thus making her speed up and need a longer distance to overtake. The red car caused the potential accident by taking off.

PosterBoy · 06/09/2023 17:25

The car in front was driving erratically and had not stopped.

You should have been more ... not less ... careful and cautious.

I take back my earlier comments as you are obviously only intimidated into driving carefully if you think there is a chance you might be caught. So yes ... a lot of cyclists wear head cams. Maybe they will report you. You can explain to the police why you thought it was safe

amylou8 · 06/09/2023 17:27

The red car was at fault, but when it started moving again you should have dropped back behind it rather than continue to overtake. But no harm done, and we've all misjudged and done something a bit daft when driving that could but thankfully didn't end badly.

PickledPurplePickle · 06/09/2023 17:27

You were driving dangerously - at the point you realised the car that you were overtaking was speeding up, you should have slowed down and dropped back behind them, not sped up to get round them

It wasn't safe to continue to overtake if you almost hit something coming the other way - you should have adapted to the conditions

Original poster
Bebop123 · 06/09/2023 17:49

DivingForLove · 06/09/2023 17:12

If the car started to move you should have dropped back behind it. As a cyclist that would have scared the shit out of me to come round a bend and be confronted by a car head on.

Jeremy Vine type? 🙄

I don't blame the guy on the bike for shouting at all it must have given him a real fright to see my car coming towards him - this is why I feel so bad!

I'll be honest when the red car started to move I panicked and I thought 'oh shit I need to get out the way' so I went faster to get in front and move over.
I'll admit I didn't look in my left wing mirror to check if I could go back behind the red car, if there had been another car behind them I would have only had the option to get in front of the red car anyway?

I'm not trying to dodge the fact the cyclist must have been scared at all and that that is my fault

OP posts:
Original poster
Bebop123 · 06/09/2023 17:51

amylou8 · 06/09/2023 17:27

The red car was at fault, but when it started moving again you should have dropped back behind it rather than continue to overtake. But no harm done, and we've all misjudged and done something a bit daft when driving that could but thankfully didn't end badly.

Thank you

OP posts:
Original poster
Bebop123 · 06/09/2023 17:54

Givemepickles · 06/09/2023 17:19

The Red car is at fault, not you. A car who has pulled over should check and indicate before starting off again. At the very least they should be aware you were overtaking and wait to be safe. They should also be aware that they were causing a potential accident by the way they were driving. Its not acceptable to drive at 2mph.

Thank you. I honestly thought they were stopping.

Someone else asked if I indicated - yes I did I looked down the road and checked my right wing mirror in case there was a motorbike coming up the side, then attempted to go round the red car.

Someone else mentioned if I get reported to the police - if I do then I will explain what happened and will hold my hands up I scared the crap out of the cyclist - not hiding from that at all I'd hold my hands up.

OP posts:
Daffodilsandtuplips · 15/12/2023 10:42

You knew the bend was coming up and as soon as the red car sped up I’d have pulled back in behind it and not tried to overtake at that point. I would have overtaken him after the bend. As you’ve discovered, anything could be coming around that blind bend.

vivainsomnia · 15/12/2023 10:50

so I thought they were going to stop where they were. Didn't expect them to move again so thought it was safe to go round!
The problem is that you 'thought' it was going to stop. You made an assumption. When you learn to drive, you are taught to assume everything and act accordingly. In your case, it meant assuming that the car could indeed speed up as it did.

You are without a doubt in the wrong but a lesson learnt and hopefully not repeated.

Ps: I'm not perfect and have made mistakes too, but accepting them is important to reduce danger on our roads.

Motti · 15/12/2023 10:51

OP I live in London & similar things happen all the time with overtaking buses. I’m a very cautious driver but there have been times when I’ve gone to overtake & realised I should have hung back. For me I tend to do it because people behind me are getting impatient (that’s London!). Chalk it up to experience & you’ll know for another time.

Toomuchcawfee · 15/12/2023 10:55

If the cyclist was frightened enough to shout at you it must have been close. If there had been a car going fast round that bend rather than a cyclist doing max 20mph then you may have hit them head on, it sounds like. I’d hope they don’t have a camera, and then chalk it up to experience and next time don’t overtake until you can clearly see your overtaking distance is clear.

cezannesapple · 15/12/2023 11:00

Was the red car indicating? Even if it was, you knew it was driving eratically so you should have kept well back until you were sure what the driver was doing. If you were faced with traffic coming round the bend you were far too close to overtake. You should have dropped back when you realised red car was pulling out. You were definitely at fault even if the other car was driving badly.