Cyclists Creating Incidents for Content? My Analysis 

"Have they seen me?" Such a good question, whether driving or cycling I am always asking myself this. Thank you Ashley.

As someone who cycles thru a city on a daily basis, I can tell the best thing is just not to be inside if there is a chance of the driver turning, just don't be there either speed up or slow down but getting run over just to prove a point is not a good idea.

I have cycled for the best part of 50 years, I drive also. I have been knocked off by bad driving once in 1986, I was hit from behind, didn't see it coming. I don't even put myself into the "Have I been seen" position I stay well out of the way of other road users, give way when i don't have too, stop and get off if the traffic is bad. Vine and the likes are trying to make a point at every opportunity what they don't get is that the other parties are uninterested and probably won't change their bad habits, so why bother, leave them to it.

As cyclists we have to acknowledge that not everyone is a good driver and they can hurt us. I'm always checking if I've been seen and even if I have some drivers still do a terrible job. I've said it before about Jeremy Vine, he is an idiot. I just don't get why he puts himself in danger so many times just to prove a point. You have to let things go sometimes. It's better than being injured or dead.

Vine was much more interested in creating the incident than avoiding one, as usual. Those that think he can do no wrong just share his idiocy.

Vine should have carried on riding, instead he stopped behind the vehicle in it's blind spot. The van driver started reversing to rectify his going in a wrong junction, unaware Vine was by his back doors, under which Vines bike was trapped. Vine didn't keep himself where the van driver could see him.

Most hgv's have a big sign on the back that says "if vehicle is turning left do not undertake" some even have a flashing cyclist warning, but the amount of cyclists who ignore this is truely amazing. There does appear to be as many bad cyclists as there are drivers. I am a lifelong motorcyclist and have always ridden defensivly, you must always look at the other road users and assume YOU have not been seen and try to put yourself in a safe position, plan an escape route if the worst happens, there are always little clues, but try not to get to that stage. The jeremy vine clip is a perfect example, he showed no danger awarness, did not slow or stop, did not plan an escape route, just weirdly turned onto the back of the van, i just cannot understand that move as he had multiple options. I have survived 30 years on a motorbike by not doing stupid things like that.

I was taught, by a fantastic lady instructor, to treat everyone on the road as an idiot ... including one's self.

Ashley, you said it right in the first video. The van driver made an honest and understandable mistake. The only best answer was for Jeremy to stop before the van and assist its driver with backing out safely. If he really couldn't stop in time? An alternate solution might have been to veer right of the signs and further from the van, then just keep going past at full speed. The wrong answer was exactly what we saw. Passive-aggressively ride straight into danger, ignore solid objects 🙄, foolishly squeeze between a curb and an obviously not parked and likely still moving van, then trick the driver by slowing instead of continuing at a quick even pace. *Other people can only be expected to watch out for your health and welfare, as much as you do. In addition, any kid with a BMX bicycle learns to just ditch the thing when it all goes wrong. So, a van starts backing over you? Hop right off, don't remain behind, just leave the bike to die and head for safety on the pavement. I love my working legs more than my bicycle any day 😉.

2nd clip, I feel would have been a none event if the taxi had been indicating whilst sat at the lights rather than as they started making the turn. However, why try and pass anyone on the inside at a junction, hold back, and make sure you are in a position where you can be safe and account for the stupidity of other people around you.

The SOTW incident. I don't think it's taught in cycling proficiency anymore but I was taught that when traffic is moving slowly through a junction, move into the middle of the lane to go through the junction. Once you're through the junction move back to your normal road position. I've been doing this for almost 30 years and have fewer problems than people who keep left at all times, especially in situations similar to this.

Interesting how the cyclist in the final clip was safety conscious enough to: 1. Have a fixed headlight on 2. Have a flashing light for extra attention 3. Wearing a substantial hi vis jacket 4. Wearing a mask whilst cycling ...and yet failed to ask themselves the questions that Ashley raised or put themselves in a space where they would be seen and safe. Not in any way excusing the taxi driver but it's rather odd that such an apparently safety conscious cyclist didn't ride in a manner consistent with that. I once read a road safety article entitled "Safety is not cumulative". In other words you can't be safe in some aspects of road safety but careless in others and then say "There you go, my safety is balanced because the risks I take are cancelled out by my safety measures." You are only as safe as your greatest risks, no matter how safety conscious you are otherwise.

I always liked when the saying "you can be a part of the problem or a part of the solution". Yes it is unfair that you are at risk because of someone else's mistake or lack of care. Yes it is unfair that someone is forcing you to acoomodate their mistake. But if you do not you will have to stop, stuck in a wrong gear, upset and/or scared and re-start your journey from that position (assuming you prevent a crash at the last second). But once you see such situation developing you have basically two options: make it better or make it worse. And you cannot choose the latter and then claim moral high ground. I used to be a lot like some of these antagonistic cyclists long time ago. Minus the camera. The start of change for me was getting the camera in order to have proof of all those dangerous assholes in cars and then seeing the clip I just filmed where I act like an idiot making everything worse. That was almost ten years ago. Later I had a crash (by myself on empty dirt road, nobody else involved) that left me walking on crutches for three years and a fused ankle after 10 operations. Lots of thinking was done during that time. I knew I had to return to cycling just to keep my allergies and asthma somewhat contained if nothing else. And I wanted to do so safely. It changed my attitude to these situations where someone messes up creating a danger I could potentially then run into. And I think that watching Ashley's channel(s) for the past two years moved me a lot further in the right direction with this. I can actually feel the difference every day when commuting to work. So many situations that would have been unpleasant before are now just a game of "I am watching you, will you mess up the way I think you will?" and having the solution for it ready to use. It is very pleasant and a little funny to see the face of a driver who realizes you fixed a problem for them before they new they had one. I can no longer imagine being someone who starts shouting and getting angry instead. That's unhealthy even if it does not cause a crash.

I still think he was going round the back of the van to get to the driver. If he'd carried on straight he'd have been fine.

Really excellent, Ashley. A couple of detail points that I had missed - especially the mini-swerve to the right on the taxi, and the slight warning of the movement on the steering wheels. Great stuff.

in that first video, I noticed how quickly he turned into the left behind the van... I was shocked, and wondered his reasoning, having it called out as creating incidents however perfectly explains

Thanks Ashley for your ongoing thoughts in these situations. I do have a rear facing radar/ camera. The radar does really help me detect vehicles, and then i can make sure I'm in the best position possible. The camera is just incase the worst happened ! I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with a stick point out the front of my bike. Surely this could be very dangerous in a collision ? I don't like all this antagonistic tactics, right or wrong its just going to make things worse.

The giant tripod stuck out the front of the bike looks lethal - if you had that on a car you’d be pulled over straight away.

I like the way the second cyclist turns into an italian with his exaggerated arm waving antics!

There seems to be a prevailing attitude of "I'm in the right so if there's an accident it's not my fault" which isn't a great attitude in any vehicle, but when you're as vulnerable as a cyclist it's crazy. Surely it's better to drive/cycle in a way that minimises risk and maintains flow. How do we make that a cool thing to do?

One thing i really hate, is when cyclists, (and motor bikes) overtake on the left when there is no dedicated cycle lane.

I've been cycling for more than twelve years in my youth and i NEVER EVER stopped thinking about my OWN safety and wellbeing...... how some cyclists manage to endanger their own lifes so careless is just beyond me..... **smh**

It would seem that many road users would benefit from asking a simple question: What's more important? Being right? Or being safe? Though it would seem to me that if you prioritise safety for yourself and others, then you'll probably also be right.

As a motorist, I can't believe the number of cyclists that wear all-black. Also, don't rely on lights, especially bright ones that flash or strobe: they blind the driver. The best thing is downward facing lights and reflectorised jackets and ankle wear. The reflectorised rims that some modern commuter bikes sport are brilliant. REMEMBER: don't ruin your set-up by wearing a big black backpack over your hi-viz... Lights make you more visible during the day. Lights help make you more visible on a sunny day, as you zoom in and out of shadows. On a sunny day, motorists can't see easily into those shadows, esp if they are driving into the sun.

I drive a car, ride a motorcycle and a bicycle, with advanced courses in both car and motorcycle. I don’t live in a busy built up area so not maybe quite as aware of the challenges this brings. When I’m cycling or motorcycling the one thought I have is not concerned with who’s right or wrong it’s always where am I safest. In both instances its fine to say the driver was at fault but then they’re never going to be the one landing themselves in hospital or worse.

As a motorcyclist as well as a cyclist I agree 100% with you. If you are on two wheels you always ride defensively as there is no point in putting ‘it was the other guys fault’ on your gravestone! I see it time and time again, cyclists and motorcyclists putting themselves in a position where they are at risk of being taken out, where, with a bit of defensive riding/positioning, they could avoid a developing situation. Treat every other road user as a blind idiot who’s not looking past the end of their bonnet and you will live to ride another day. It’s served me well in 50yrs of motorcycling!

You say that reporting these incidents just drives a wedge between cyclists and motorists, but you haven't said what would work. How can we get drivers to start following the rules of the road? How can we reduce fatalities from drivers who don't give a shit? Surely reporting can help and in some cases send the drivers on a refresher course to learn the new rules.

The biggest annoyance for me as a cyclist is that a vehicle is at the traffic lights and hasn't put his left signal to indicate his actions. I've been cycling for over 20 years, and now I'm on an e-bike, I am more aware of the traffic around me. I don't like when cyclists have a flashing white light, as it's blinding for other cyclists and pedestrians, and another annoyance is that most cyclists I see don't have any lights on their bicycles or wear High Visible clothing. (aka living dangerously)

I was talking to a keen cyclist at work (all the gear & no idea) who said that he's had a lot of near misses, but if he was "hit severely" he'd sue the driver, to which I replied "I guess the money would help with the funeral costs" ... it went clear over his head!

Perfect analysis. Always ask ‘it’s my right of way, but should I yield because of stupid?’. I’ve had too many close calls because I pushed my ‘rights’ when I sensed that wasn’t going to get taken into account by someone.

never thought of it till Ash mentioned it, but now remembering vehicles that only had a right hand mirror, no left mirror

A major issue I see is cycle clubs. They stay in packs of up to a couple of dozen two, or even three abreast. They make no attempt whatsoever to allow motorists to pass. Nothing can be allowed to interrupt their sport. Roads are not dedicated sports grounds (even if the oldest football ground in the world is called York Road) and should not be treated as such - whether you are on two wheels or four.

I'm honestly shocked that there are people that think that the cyclists in these 2 clips couldn't have done anything better. I mean there is not a doubt that the car drivers have done a lot of things wrong in those clips, but if I were in the place of the cyclists, I could have avoided both of these situations in my sleep.

I've watched the JV clip many times and it never ceases to make me laugh!

Excellent analysis yet again. I agree that there are very poor Drivers and Cyclists out there. Self-preservation dictates that a 🚲 shouldn't ride into danger. I'm fortunate enough to have a degree of ✈ experience - learnt before being Legal to drive. This training was invaluable in terms of spatial awareness etc. All/any decent Pilot was expected AND had to keep a certain amount of Airspace between themselves - or get clobbered by the relevant Authorities. Leaving it there.

Cycling Twitter just can’t understand that something being wholly someone else’s fault doesn’t mean they can’t improve their riding; it’s not victim blaming it’s promoting defensive driving and good roadcraft. Blackbelt barrister fell into this recently when his analysis of JV’s video was suggesting that those that criticise JV and not the driver were the problem. We all know the driver was useless, but JV also has some of the worst roadcraft I’ve seen in a cyclist. Both things can be true.

In your comment on the JV clip you say people were mistaken in thinking he'd gone through a red light and that the 360 degree camera causes the confusion. You are right that the red light is not for traffic coming from the direction he was coming from, but wrong about the camera. I'm a local and can tell you the light is just badly pointed - it points across the junction about 45 degrees out from where it should be pointing.

There really doesn't need to be an us versus them . Yeah people at times mess things up but but we shouldn't punish them by making the situation worse.

I'm a cyclist and agree with everything Ashley said

One of the problems with a painted lane. The position you’re advocating for does reduce risk but goes against the markings. Poor cycling infrastructure imho

It looks to me in the Jeremy Vine clip the van started to reverse before Jeremy was clear, not that he stopped and then the van reversed

*pauses video* "as we see here he has plenty of time to react"

Excellent Analysis & commentary on how to reduce risk if you are a cyclist encountering other traffic at junctions.

Even in cases where the cyclist could have done better, people have to process a complex road environment, while not only understanding very nuanced details of how to stay safe on a bike, but also being able to put them into action during a stressful rapidly-developing situation. All this, usually without any formal safety training, and while being heavily criticized by drivers who hate them for doing the right thing. Ashley is right that the cyclists could have done better. The fact that they had to is an indictment, not of the drivers, but of the infrastructure that forces cyclists to deal with drivers in the first place.

Have they seen me? Given the bright flashing lights and high viz, quite clear the driver didn't bother checking their mirrors before moving. But at the end of the day, the cyclist stopped, and avoided being run over. So they weren't going too fast or driving around like a bell end. I guess it's tricky to see this from the cyclist's perspective by analysing a video frame by frame. These incidents happen over a matter of seconds, and the brain just gets on with doing its best to save the cyclist's life. The taxi driver in this instance, would have gotten a 3-6 point endorsement and a £400+ fine. It's clearly wrong to drive in this manner, and the law protects the vulnerable. Although that's not much good if you're dead, so yes, you've got to look out for these things. And to make others aware, why not post on RU-vid? I think that's a good thing, and I've certainly learned a lot from these analyses. I too, remember cars without left wing mirrors... :)

Still baffles me why Jeremy moved left after passing the van. Only thing I can think of is that he wanted to get onto the pavement so he can reach the driver side window to remonstrate the driver. What annoys me about the second clip, is I feel they don't look at themselves and see where they could have improved to make the situation better. They only focus on the wrong the driver did and post online to get confirmation that they were right and the driver was wrong. It is good the watch footage back from time to time because you miss things in the moment and self analysis of one's own riding is good as we all can be better. We all make mistakes and errors in judgment or miscalculations of timings etc. Acknowledge them and learn to be a better road user.

Been watching this channel thinking it was the main channel…….just subscribed 😊

Brilliant analysis Ashley.

Why would cyclists be any different than drivers? Both are exactly the same human beings with all their flaws (and good sides for that matter). The silent majority is largely well behaved while the vocal minority is out creating these videos and trying to get attention. As a daily walker/pedestrian I see some cyclists behaving towards pedestrians just like drivers towards cyclists so many cyclists complain about while most cyclists are probably courteous towards walkers/pedestrians. PS: Same applies to bikers vs drivers

4:57 Cars already drive that wedge, even if you cycle 100% safely and in accordance with the law. I've had multiple incidents where drivers have physically driven at me for the mere crime of existing on the same road as them. (No I don't mean by mistake, I mean deliberately accelerated to threaten or actually steered into my side)

As a child I recall approaching a junction where an articulated lorry was waiting to pull out. The driver looked straight at me and then looked to his left to check the other way. Something inside me sounded an alarm. If he had seen me why was he looking the other way? I stopped my bike just short of him and sure enough he lurched forward in front of me. I can still remember the look of shock on his face when he looked down to his right and saw me stood there by his door as he drove forward to turn right. I watch these videos and can only conclude it is bloody mindedness on the part of the cyclists driving them forward into what is obviously a dangerous situation. They are so determined to have their right of way all sense goes out of the window.

I'm a frequent cycle commuter and cycled through central London quite a lot when I lived there a few years ago. I completely agree with your assessment here. I think that these two cases of conflict for content. Both cases the commercial put themselves in the worst possible position. Jeremy put himself there to instigate a fight. Son of the wind wanted to save 2 seconds. Good road users shouldn't be willing to die for either reason

Cycling, motorcycling or driving a car your comments are pertinent to all three. Ride and drive as if everyone is out to kill you, including cyclists. I almost ended up with a leg amputation because a bicycle believed bicycles had right of way. When it comes to failure to indicate just put that down to the worldwide shortage of blinker fluid. Never split lanes in moving traffic and always stay in view in the rear view mirrors. If you can't see the drivers face in the mirror he/she can't see you. Finally per that last cyclist NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER under cut, by pass, inside pass, or whatever you call it in Britain, any vehicle indicating a turn or not at an intersection. Every driver or rider while making a turn should be watching where they are going and therefore will not be looking in their mirrors. If they are looking in their mirrors where is the car going and watch out poor pedestrians if the drivers are looking for a wayward bicycle and not forward into the intersection where pedestrians cross the road.

I wonder if Jeremy will learn anything from this. I hope so.

Spot on analysis Mr Neal on the Vine incident . to top it all he stood in the blind spot and hammered on the backdoors , so was very lucky not to have collected his darwin award .

Question…. If it’s a crime to drive/ride/cycle in a way to put someone else In danger, is it also a crime to drive/ride/cycle in a way that puts you yourself in danger ? In the 2nd clip the cyclist put himself into danger out of ignorance, [he wasn’t expecting the taxi to turn and he put himself in the blind spot] In J V’s clip he deliberately put himself into a dangerous position on purpose in order to cause a problem for the van driver who had screened up, and it increased the severity of the situation.

Just to follow up on your point about how most drivers never do any further training. Do you think a simple test re take would be a good idea after 10 years or so for all drivers? Personally I think it would help drivers become aware of new rules and bad habits they've acquired. We have to renew our licence so why not check that drivers are still fit to drive at the same time?

JV is definitely in the business of looking for trouble - to create drama and content: it explains every vid he’s published. SonOfTheWinds looks exactly the same (from this clip), and who else would install multiple cameras including one projecting a yard out in front - if only to create drama and content?

I agree with everything you said apart from the bit about reporting. I don't think it'll drive a wedge between drivers and cyclists - I only think it'll drive a wedge between good road users and criminally negligent ones.

Its so easy to dissect this clip frame by frame after the event. No one knew if the Van driver meant to drive down that road the wrong way and would just carry on. No one knew he would instantly hit reverse and not bother checking it was safe to do so. But after the event its more fun to blame JV for what happened to him. You'd think that JV cycled behind the van, stopped for 10 seconds and waited to be run over. That's just not what happened, but in the world of trial by social media it seems more important to enjoy fuelling the anti cycling rhetoric. The Black Belt Barrister did a far more measured video on this imo.

3:00 couldn't agree more. Even here in the Netherlands you can't expect vehicles to see you if you go through here in this situation. The driver should give way on theory and will be held responsible when they hit you, but what does that really matter when you end up in hospital and.or have to go through a long legal battle? It's stupid and you're only winning a few seconds at best.

There is a good video of Silveo Diego recently, where he cycles out towards an overtaking bus. It also looks like he speeds up, from how his front wheel moves. I have seen him do this a few times in videos.

The incident with the second bike rider If that were a motor bike rider that pulled that manoeuvre it would have been illegal in fact if any other type of vehicle under taking would have been illegal because it’s dangerous The cyclist was also behind the car when the lights change, meaning the car had right of way as the bike had to make an illegal under take

IMHO Vine will do anything to get headlines. He could easily have avoided the van. All he had to do was slow down a little and then pass behind the van and ride straight on. Deliberate actions by Vine in my opinion.

As someone who cycled in London in the 1970s and 80s, driving standards were always appalling, and cyclists had to have their wits about them at all times. The difference now is people are cycling in their own bubble of certainty. This is most evident when filtering and crossing junctions, where speed and positioning do not reflect the exponential increase in risk.

If I had time I would love to follow the likes of CyclingMikie or Jeremy Vine on my bike for a day and see exactly how they behave.

I used to cycle to my work every day, all year round. I always cycled as though motorists didn't know i was there, meaning i was cautious. I was all too aware of how small and exposed i was in relation to any other vehicle on the road, so i never put myself in the line of fire. These 'safe' gaps you refer to, i always ensured i remained in one for as long as i could, in order to allow a driver room for error. It's important as a road user to drive defensively or cycle defensively. Always presume that everyone else on the road is a f*cking idiot and likely to to do something completely unexpected at any given time. Do that and you're always prepared. Too many road users disengage their brain as soon as they get into a flow of traffic, expecting today to be the same as yesterday, when no idiot caused any issues and the commute to where ever was plain sailing. You should always (in effect), reset on a new day. Don't expect there to be problems and encounters with the brain dead, but be ready for it.

I passed my driving test last week and am very grateful to keep up my education of the roads with videos like this. Thank you Ashley for your calm talk-throughs, particularly when you said 'Remember there are generations of drivers who never looked for cyclists in the roads and wont start doing so now' struck with me. Its not that everyone else on the road is dangerous, its that we've all passed at different stages of our lives with different rules with no call to sit the exam again. What i've taken from your videos the most is just - Give. People. Space

I've been cycling for over 50 years and never had an accident involving another vehicle, sure I fell off one icey morning. Mostly because I have a finely tuned self preservation instinct, it's not difficult to read the traffic ahead and ride safely accordingly. I just don't understand why these cyclists clearly put themselves in danger. This is something I've noticed happens a lot nore since the advent of social media and the need to create content that drives views and clicks, that's the only reason I can see here being a factor. Sure the drivers are idiots and made mistakes in these clips but the responsibility also lies with the cyclist to mitigate for such bad driving. They both could have done much more to make these situations 'none events', simply by slowing down or backing off and reading the traffic around them better, particularly at dangerous junctions.👍 I'd like to see clips like this used in a cycling proficiency test, where the cyclist candidate is asked what they could have done to avoid such an incident.

What could Jeremy Vine have done different? He could have NOT gone behind a van where the driver can't see him, knowing that the van can't go forward, can't go right or left and can't stay where it is.

Having seen a longer clip it appears that Jeremy noticed what the van driver was going to do a long way back and at that point he should have expected an outcome. I would have slowed down, not Jeremy.

Spot on analysis.

Too many cyclists seem to be completely unaware of the danger that they are pitting themselves in. This moring within the space of a couple of minutes a cyclist was cycling down the pavement and just drove off into my path without a glance to check if the way was clear. Fortunately for him I saw him and managed to brake in time. He may not be so lucky next time. Just a few hundred yards further on the lights changed to green as I came to them and a cyclist shot straight across my path from the road on the right. This wasn't even chancing it as the lights changed because the lights had been green for a different direction before, it was pure recklessness.

If I had as many "incidents" on the road, I think I might be looking at my own actions....

Self preservation is far more important then being right and being in hospital or worse....

The last clip I would have gone behind in primary position, I don’t agree with cycle lanes on the left side of the road at junctions as I believe in all ways take primary position at a junction regardless if turning left it’s time cycle lane marking taper out into primary position for turning left or straight and another on the right for turning right and place markings on the left to warn cyclists to keep out

The taxi didn’t even have their indicator on until they had turned left. Shocking driving from someone with “the knowledge”.

Vine purposefully turns his bike into the back of the van to make sure it gets damaged. Absolute two hat !

Second clip. Cyclists need to use the cars mirrors more. If you can see the driver, the driver can see you. This is why I think camera outer rear view mirrors should be band.

Some people on the road seem to think.. If I have a camera I can do what ever I want, & everyone else should get out of my way!

The latest scurge on the road is without doubt the take away delivery scooters!

I am fully convinced that these people see the danger they’re about to enter. And choose to continue on because they’re on camera and can scream to get content or an ego boost

really hate those flashing lights, yes they make it easy to see "something" is "somewhere" in that direction, they make it a lot harder to judge distance and relative speed though at least this one had a steady light adjacent

You can see the exact moment in the 2nd clip's facecam when the cyclist starts properly paying attention again to the cars on his right again. You can see the initial glance right at the back of the queue then blinders engage. Playing silly buggers with a multi tonne block of vision obstruction is something I left behind long ago in my cycling journey. If *these types* of cyclists actually planning to sit smug in a hospital bed or 6 foot in the ground I dont know what else to tell them 🤷

It’s not only car drivers. The road markings were bad on the second clip. The cycle land stoped before the junction then it picked up just before the traffic lights and the taxi went had to drive across the bike land to turn left.

In the 2nd clip, I thought you were about to mention that the mirror is not correctly positioned. Looks that way to me. Yeah, if you are on the left of a vehicle and the mirror is half-folded in, then they probably can't see you. Like you say, I am always on the lookout for the indirect clues, road position, tempo as they adjust speed before a junction or gap in traffic (it's a very strong cue if you look for it, hesitations in braking or acceleration) and especially small deflections of the front wheels, drivers either give away subconscious clues you can spot with good observation, or if they are able to deliberately hide those cues then they are likely sociopaths who are out to, and probably will, get you anyway!

All of this reminds me of when I was a child, I remembered my father accelerating when it was plain someone was about to switch lanes or pull out so he would have to apply the brakes. I noticed this as a child and couldn't understand at the time why he would inconvenience himself like that.

Second clip. Cyclist did stop and avoided a potential collision caused by careless driver, so he did exactly what was expected of him. Trying to leave the filter line and join the main traffic would be dangerous as this is not what driver behind would expect. The answer here is fairly easy. Make every driver resit test every few years and make tests harder. Lack of knowledge is dangerous and no excuse.

Being a cyclist myself its dreadful cycling not to be aware of a dangerous vehicle that could crush your legs. Any basic level cyclist should always believe the car will be turning left until it quite obviously stays straight, basic human survival.

It's not simply a matter of who is in the wrong between cyclist and car driver. The infrastructure should not prompt cyclists and drivers to conflicting actions.

Don't concern yourself with who is in the right, It will not matter when you are dead, Be responsible for yourself and your safety.

Just to provide an explanation as to why Jeremy veered left behind he van. If you are riding slowly and pulling away, balance is a key factor. He has just had his attention drawn to the left, which meant his eyes were likely fixred there. It is completely understandable that his balance also drew him in this direction. I ride both motorcycles and bicycles extensively. Bike wandering as you balance when pulling away, riding slowly or track standing, is completely normal. I think you are viewing this behaviour as a car driver without considering the phyisics of riding a bike. When you consider Jeremy's instance, a little bit of panic will have been in the mix. I think the left swerve was an unintentional, but completely understandable occurance. I dont think he did anything wrong here. Second clip though, completely agree. putting yourself in a dangerous position is never a good idea. Relying on other road users to do safety checks is a recipie for desaster. I would have stayed back from the lead car, in the gap you suggestd. I may have also moved to a more central road position, to make it clearer to the car behind that I am going straight on and not to overtake.

As you pointed out, these people are stating that Motor Vehicles should giveway to cyclists every-time, which is unrealistic, especially in the second clip where they put themselves in a position where they were clearly in the wrong.

As a biker, cyclist and motorist i would never leave it to someone elses observations to make sure i was safe. Eg. In clip 2 id have held bk behind the boot of the taxi and expect he could turn, rather than try and go into that space at the junction. Errors on both parties for me. The taxi not indicating until he nrly hit the cyclist and the cyclist for putting himself in that postion when he cpuld have easily avoided it.

When dash-cams first came out, there was also a big spate of this sort of behaviour from car drivers. A common example was accelerating towards and emerging vehicle only to stamp on the brakes whilst blasting the horn at the "terrible emerge". Thankfully people seemed to quickly wake up to this. That's not to say you don't see dashcam footage today where the person recording makes the incident worse, but you see far less where they create an incident from nothing. That said the fact that these sort of incidents were motorist vs. motorist probably helped people to see through them, whereas motorist vs. cyclist tends to appeal to a far more biased audience who are less likely to think "would I have done better in the other person's shoes". Of course a lot of the most none biased analysis tends to come from those who both cycle and drive.

Road safety is the responsibility of everyone, these sort of clips and riders demonstrate they don’t practice what they preach.

Undertaking is allowed when the traffic is stationary, but doing so when the traffic is moving is at the undertakers own risk. Doing so at a junction is just moronic.

I could not agree more, JV could have so easily made this a non event, but rushed head long into trouble. Of course, the van driver was the one who did everything wrong and caused the incident, but then JV compounded the error by moving into a dangerous position in the driver's blind spot at a time when he was not necessarily looking in his nearside mirror as JV passed behind him. It looked to me as if JV was going to pull down the driver's side and start his rant until the van started moving. I doubt he was going to guide the driver back to the correct part of the raod so that everyone could carry on with their day. Vine is an accident searching for a place to happen. I also agree with your point about the dash cam posters, we have a local driving instructor where I live who is full of the name and shame sort of videos criticizing other road users, and encouraging people to share his videos. (on Facebook) Yet many of them also show him making bad decisions as well. I am all for "educating" other road users, but when you are trying to humiliate them for views, that is entirely on a different level. I have pointed out some of the more dangerous errors of the driving instructor, and he gets very defensive about it, and even blocked me in the end. I don't know if he is still doing the same, but probably is, while setting a bad example himself 1/2 the time.

I cycle and i drive . when i am out on my bike i know sometimes i have right of way or the car/lorry should wait for me but when a situation occurs that could put me in danger do i 1)keep going because i am totally correct to do so or 2) slow down/swerve/stop/ get the hell out of dodge before i get seriously hurt? i wear a camera in case something beyond my control happens and in the last 3 years i do not have any videos of exciting near misses etc just boring cycling. i like being alive/unhurt so a few seconds wait is fine

"I was in the right" makes for a wonderful epitaph on a headstone. I drive cars, vans, motorbikes, and cycle, and it's very simple - be in the right, but also assume everyone else is an idiot out to kill you.