Why I don't watch close pass videos

[Deleted member 35268]

As a regular cyclist and car driver (sorry!) I have myself encountered many a close pass and I have hopefully never made one.

However, I am really really tired of watching these close pass videos. I used to watch them but they just annoy the hell out of me and I avoid them like the plague.

I am better off not seeing them for my own sanity as I just get annoyed at what I see.

I did send my own close pass to the fuzz a year or so ago which resulted in a caution so I have no issue with the concept of recording them and being publicized. They are just not my choice of viewing.

Anyone else share my view?

 

[Drago]

Yep, I don't watch them. Apart from cringing at the close passes, the victims themselves are often riding in a less than satisfactory manner. This makes me very angry indeed, and I have to go off and punch a sack of potatoes for half an hour to calm down.

 

[Spinney]

Yep, I don't watch them. Apart from cringing at the close passes, the victims themselves are often riding in a less than satisfactory manner. This makes me very angry indeed, and I have to go off and punch a sack of potatoes for half an hour to calm down.

It's easier to mash potatoes after you cook them, you know.

 

[Racing roadkill]

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/videos...ency-engine-cut-off-as-revenge-for-close-pass

Normally I don’t bother, this made me .

 

[mjr]

I don't watch them unless asked. I certainly don't need to see them so much I go searching for them.

Are you reading road cc too much? I think they've been doing near miss of the day or some such shoot.

 

[Deleted member 35268]

I don't watch them unless asked. I certainly don't need to see them so much I go searching for them.

Are you reading road cc too much? I think they've been doing near miss of the day or some such shoot.

Yes road.cc getting boring now.

 

[TVC]

I don't bother with them, why don't they send the video to the Police like @Rooster1 instead of posting on line, it doesn't solve anything.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but is there a problem with bringing prosecutions if the evidence has already been published?

 

[mjr]

I don't bother with them, why don't they send the video to the Police like @Rooster1 instead of posting on line, it doesn't solve anything.

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but is there a problem with bringing prosecutions if the evidence has already been published?

I think the police discourage it because if a video went viral, it would make it more difficult to find a jury which isn't prejudiced BICBW.

Sadly, a few backwards police forces still don't accept video reports and an even smaller number (Cambridgeshire for one!) don't even seem to accept that close-passing cyclists is an offence.

 

[gbb]

As a regular cyclist and car driver (sorry!) I have myself encountered many a close pass and I have hopefully never made one.

However, I am really really tired of watching these close pass videos. I used to watch them but they just annoy the hell out of me and I avoid them like the plague.

I am better off not seeing them for my own sanity as I just get annoyed at what I see.

I did send my own close pass to the fuzz a year or so ago which resulted in a caution so I have no issue with the concept of recording them and being publicized. They are just not my choice of viewing.

Anyone else share my view?

My wife suggested i get a cam some years ago when they first started getting popular. No way I said....watching some of the videos in here I suspect they'e ruined the pleasure of cycling for many a user.
We all get the occasional close pass, occasionally outright dangerous, but I prefer to put it behind me asap and get on with enjoying my cycling (which for various reasons is hard and rare enough as it is at the moment )

 

[NickNick]

I think the police discourage it because if a video went viral, it would make it more difficult to find a jury which isn't prejudiced BICBW.

Sadly, a few backwards police forces still don't accept video reports and an even smaller number (Cambridgeshire for one!) don't even seem to accept that close-passing cyclists is an offence.

Was Cambridgeshire the lot that refused to run a close pass campaign on the basis that their roads are narrow so the drivers are within their rights to close pass?

 

[mjr]

My wife suggested i get a cam some years ago when they first started getting popular. No way I said....watching some of the videos in here I suspect they'e ruined the pleasure of cycling for many a user.
We all get the occasional close pass, occasionally outright dangerous, but I prefer to put it behind me asap and get on with enjoying my cycling (which for various reasons is hard and rare enough as it is at the moment )

That's backwards - mostly cyclists get cameras because dangerous drivers were already ruining the pleasure - and possibly irresponsible: why let bad drivers continue until they injure a cyclist? Let's get them off the road if we can.

 

[mjr]

Was Cambridgeshire the lot that refused to run a close pass campaign on the basis that their roads are narrow so the drivers are within their rights to close pass?

Yes. See https://www.cyclechat.net/posts/4987633

 

[ianrauk]

One person's close pass is anothers wide and vice versa

 

[Slick]

Sorry to be the odd man out, but I quite often go searching YouTube for different cycle clips including close pass's. I'm not entirely sure why I enjoy watching some of these clips, but it does remind me to take the lane when I'm not prepared to risk being squeezed out by a careless driver.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

The way we instinctively, subconciously evaluate risk is based on how many memories you have of good outcomes vs bad ones. In this case you might weigh the incidences of close calls vs how many rides you have without one, and feel that cycling is reasonably safe. The problem is that when you are exposed to a lot of videos of cyclists in danger or newpaper articles about dead cyclists it shifts your perception of the risk even though your actual situation hasn't changed.

It's no use trying to rationally tell yourself that, statistically, you are only likely to have an accident every 100,000 miles or whatever; that won't actually change your gut feeling that cycling is risky.

For that reason I think it's best to avoid close pass videos. I suspect a lot of newcomers to cycling end up getting sucked into watching them and giving it up as they have little real experience to counter it. It almost happened to me. I avoid news in general actually - they tend only to report the bad things that happen and it really screws up your perception of the world.

On the positive side: cheer up! Things are probably better than you feel they are.

For more info read The Science of Fear by Dan Gardener; it's extremely interesting. From memory the opening example is that of the Twin Towers disaster. Around 3000 people were killed but the reduction in air travel due to fear of another attack indirectly killed an even greater number of people since driving is so much more dangerous than flying.