Chilling! The reckless overtaking that nearly cost a cyclist his life

The reckless manoeuvre of this driver took place on a road in Lleida and could well have cost an innocent cyclist his life.

Relations between drivers and cyclists have reached one of their most heated points in recent days. The debate has been running for a long time: should cyclists avoid riding on those roads where the risk of an accident is unacceptable for them, or should drivers take extreme care when approaching one of the most vulnerable groups on the roads? Unfortunately, in the case that has reignited the controversy, there is no debate at all. We are talking about the negligence of a driver that could well have cost an innocent cyclist his life.

Today during a training session of a companion at the height of Balaguer. Afterwards cyclists are always to blame. He will have to file a complaint with @mossos. I hope they find him and that it does not end up as a warning. @eltiodelmazo @Divinafajust @Miquel2XTI pic.twitter.com/KwrrnmhKtG

— vicent anglada (@VicentAnglada) 16 May 2018

These are the images of a driver who puts a cyclist seriously at risk by carrying out one of the most reckless overtakes on record. The events took place on a road in Balaguer (Lleida) and have already been reported on Twitter by a friend of the cyclist himself, who recorded the scene with a camera mounted on his bicycle. The footage shows how the car crosses at high speed and within a few millimetres of the cyclist, who was riding close to the hard shoulder, in order to take an exit from the road.

As many of you will already know, the rule states that vehicles must maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 metres when overtaking a cyclist, a clear violation of the traffic code that is already being pursued. The Mossos d’Esquadra have already opened an investigation to locate the driver in the video.

“Today during a companion’s training session at the height of Balaguer. Afterwards cyclists always end up being to blame. He will have to file a complaint with the Mossos. I hope they find him and that it doesn’t end up as a warning,” the cyclist’s friend wrote in the tweet denouncing the scene.

As could not be otherwise, the video has provoked great indignation within the cycling community and has generated a significant debate online.