YouTube user ‘The Pompey Cyclist’ recorded this video of a white van man doing a very close pass on a busy road. According to the cyclist the van was less than twelve inches away from him.
The van driver must have been quite distracted to firstly not notice how close he was to the cyclist but then not to see a car which was double parked as they were trying to parallel park which he then crashed in to.
After the incident, the cyclist gave his details to the driver who then used the video footage to make a successful insurance claim against the van driver.
The cyclist then reported the incident to the Police and had this to say “I reported it to the police, unsure whether the car driver was going to or had already. The officer on the phone said it’s an insurance issue, not a police issue. I said in that case I would like to report the close pass because the driver is clearly dangerous. The officer straight up refused to take a statement.”
The most upsetting part of this story is that the police refused to take a statement.
It’s no wonder taking matters into your own hands is some peoples response – https://www.facebook.com/LADbible/videos/2346472952066548/?fref=nf
That BMX video is fake
minority of people who drive are complaining about cyclists running camera gear are doing it for one reason only and that is of fear of their bad driving being exposed and now with this new technology gone are the days where you only have your word against theirs. good on the cyclist that reported this and shame on the Police officer
John Fitzsimons…remember our conversation this morning…
Being a cyclist and a retired Police Officer, I will tell you that the Officer didn’t do anything wrong. If he took a statement, what would he do with it…file it under ‘ statements’ ? The days of Law Enforcement taking a report in non injury accidents ended years ago. I can only assume it was based off of more crashes taking place in a city then there are Officers to handle them. With that said, I see and understand the frustration of no report, but believe me, those days have passed. No more insurance only police reports. Even for idiots like this guy. If you reside in a city where the Police Dept still provides this service, here is my advice DON’T MOVE.
The driver should be prosecuted for dangerous driving – it was only luck that meant he didn’t seriously injure someone. The points system exists to take idiots like this off the road before they seriously hurt someone, not after.
I completely agree with you Derek, I really do. Nothing was more frustrating then responding to an injury accident where Party 1 is uninsured and unlicensed. However, a non injury accident will never lead to anything more then an insurance claim. It’s not a crime to be in an accident. But I too get very frustrated when out cycling. My wife is certain one day I will unclip and just go off on some of these knuckleheads. Be safe out there, please. Good discussion.
Of course it’s not a crime to be in an accident, but it is a crime to drive dangerously and it’s about time the police did something about stuff like this where there is video evidence. In my experience however the police appear to have abandoned the whole concept of driving standards and are just as bad as idiots like this. The whole system of policing is in drastic need of review as in my opinion they are a bunch of incompetent scum.
Probably on his phone at the time!
Karma is a great thing