Derbyshire cyclist pleads with motorists to take care behind the wheel after near miss video passed to police

Zoe felt compelled to contact the Derbyshire Times after encountering three car wrecks in the Peak District in one bike ride. (Photo: Contributed)

A Peak District cyclist is pleading with motorists to take more care behind the wheel after she began to document her increasingly frequent near misses and other evidence of dangerous driving, some of which she has passed on to the police.

Brampton resident Zoe, 53 – her surname withheld due to fear of a backlash – pedals out into the national park on her mountain bike four or five times a week and what used to be an enjoyable way to brush off the cobwebs is now more likely to bring a brush with serious injury.

She said: “There’s a difference from a few years ago. I’m not as relaxed before I go out, I’m just anticipating how many people will put me at risk that day. It isn’t the way it should be.”

Zoe, who works in manufacturing design, has so far avoided any collisions but puts that down to luck more than anything else.

The aftermath of this accident showed the driver had partially crashed through a stone wall. (Photo: Contributed)

She said: “It’s quite rare in cycling circles to get to my age without being knocked off at least once. The majority of other cyclists I have spoken with in the area all have regaled me with tales of being knocked off. I know someone it happened to a few weeks ago near Barlow and they ended up in A&E. It makes you very aware how vulnerable you are.

“The law dictates that drivers should leave about six feet of space when overtaking cyclists at speeds over 30 miles per hour. That feels a bit excessive to me.

“Anything over three feet I’d probably consider safe but often I’m getting cars pass seven or eight inches from my handlebars at 40-50 mph. It really affects your confidence and willingness to get on the bike.”

She added: “Most of the time it’s completely avoidable too. If the driver could wait three seconds for a gap in the traffic, or to get past an island in the road, they’d have plenty of space. Other times, it’s people trying to overtake on blind bends. I’ve see a few situations close to head-on collisions.

“A lot of it is down to impatience. People just won’t delay their journey by a few seconds. Other times it feels like some drivers take umbrage with cyclists being on the road and will drive closer to intimidate you. I do think some do it intentionally when there is plenty of room to overtake.”

Such encounters prompted Zoe to buy a handlebar video camera which has allowed her to collect evidence of dangerous driving for possible prosecution.

Over the past three months alone, she has submitted an estimated 30 clips to the Derbyshire Capture web portal, which allows any road user to have their footage reviewed by police.

Capture was launched in 2019 as part of a national scheme but Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster increased its local staffing budget last year and that may be paying off.

In most cases she has submitted, Zoe says the result was a warning letters issued to the driver but at least one case she describes as “terrifying” – involving a lorry loaded with hay – may be headed to court for further action.

She said: “I’m pleased to see the police responding to it. I think they’re taking these situations more seriously now due to the number of clips being submitted.

“The first few clips I submitted resulted in no further action, which disheartened me a bit, but it got to the point where something was happening on every ride so I started sending the videos in again. Some rides I won’t see any issues, but I sent four videos yesterday alone – the most I’ve ever had from a single ride.”