Ocado driver nearly hits car and bike

[esuhl]

I just came across this video from a few weeks back showing an Ocado van speeding down a country lane, nearly taking out a cyclist and hitting an oncoming car (that was clearly visible before the overtake).

Absolutely shocking driving. Ocado say they are "investigating... to ensure this is dealt with accordingly". Can't they just fire the driver?! At least the police say they intend to prosecute. But it'll probably be nothing more than a slap-on-the-wrist as usual.

https://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey ... r-14429230

[Postboxer]

Oh the irony of having a yellow sticker on the back of the van.

[AlaninWales]

Oh the irony of having a yellow sticker on the back of the van.

Irony? Surely that is just what gave him the excuse?! As long as a cyclist collides with the nearside, it must be the cyclists fault: The sticker says so!

Of course if the cyclist collided with the offside, the cyclist would obviously have been going too fast .

[esuhl]

Yeah... Incredible to think that could have been the last thing the cyclist saw...

I'd be really interested to know the outcome of this.

According to the article, the video got over 7,000 views on YouTube. But I can't find it, so I wonder if it's been taken down for legal reasons while the case is ongoing.

I'm tempted to write to Ocado and ask what action they took against the driver. I think they have a responsibility to make sure their drivers are safe, and need to set an example to ensure that their other drivers aren't tempted to put other people's lives at risk.

I wonder what (if anything) the police charge him with, and if he'll it'll be anything more than a slap-on-the-wrist (points & fine). And if we'll ever find out... :-/

[pwa]

This is a classic case of a driver attempting to overtake when there is insufficient room or time before a blind bend. Maybe the driver miscalculated because he/she did not register that the cyclist was going so swiftly. Or perhaps (even worse?) gambled on there not being anything coming the other way. I think the oncoming car was not visible until quite late. Then the van driver has the classic dilemma of either pulling in and risking contact with the cyclist or potentially hitting the oncoming car. A mega cock-up whichever way you look at it.

The van driver's employer will have a policy of disciplining errant drivers, and that will include the possibility of dismissal. Another possibility (which I have known to be used) is taking the driver off driving duties and redeploying them in, say, the warehouse.

I won't make excuses for the driver, but I feel that employers have to share the blame for things like this if they give their employees a schedule that has insufficient slack.

I wonder who was the more stressed after this. We can all see that the cyclist would have had a racing pulse after that. But if I had been the driver of the van I would have been extremely shocked by what I had just caused to happen.