UpRide turns daily rides into data that drives change.
Riding home along the Monaro Highway in Canberra, UpRider C was verbally abused and dangerously passed by a RAM ute towing a horse box.
Despite having right of way, he was left with just 15cm between his hand and the trailer, one tenth of the required 1.5m safe passing distance.
The footage was clear evidence of the driver’s wrongdoing and a fine was issued.
Every UpRider has a story. Here is Chris’s.
What happened prior to this incident and why do you record your ride?
I was riding home from Canberra along the Monaro Highway. Everything went well until I got to the Royalla turn. I was going straight on, but as I started to pass the turn-off lane, I heard a loud horn from behind.
Even though I had right of way, I pulled back into the nearside verge. It was some SIX seconds later, plenty of time to slow behind me, that a RAM ute drew up alongside and the driver started verbally abusing me.
The driver then passed me and made a left turn, during which both the ute and the horse box being towed had their wheels across the fog line. I was left with just 15 cm between my right hand and the horse box, one tenth of the statutory 1.5m I was supposed to have.
Fortunately, I was able to brake enough that I didn’t contact the vehicles and could continue my trip home.
I have been using a bike camera for many years. I bought my first Fly6 and Fly12 in the initial Kickstarter releases, but this is the first time that I have felt the need to report an incident. The blatant nature of the incident was enough to spur me to do that.
When do you feel most vulnerable as a cyclist?
Riding around Canberra and nearby, most drivers are very good and will give cyclists the space they deserve. There does, however, seem to be a small minority of drivers who have no respect for any other road users. These are the ones who intimidate cyclists to get off “their” roads.
What do you think are the most important things that can be done to improve safety for cyclists on the road?
Most of all, education for drivers and cyclists on how to behave around each other. Having video evidence such as UpRide is a great asset in this.
Did you report your incident? What was the reporting process?
It was easy. I was able to download the HD video onto a USB and took that into the Federal Police in Tuggeranong. They accepted the video evidence and told me that the quality was excellent, showing the vehicle registration clearly.
There were three offences: Not give way in a left turn, Not allow 1.5m overtaking a cyclist, and Cross lane marking. The driver was contacted by the police, and a fine was issued.
What is your advice for other cyclists?
Respect other road users and try not to overreact to their actions, and maybe they will start to respect the right of cyclists in turn.
Oh, and get a camera and record your rides for the time that they overstep the mark.
Report the incident. Just a contact from the police, even if no other action is taken, goes some way to educate the drivers.
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