Sir – On Thursday, July 2, during my regular cycle commute to work, I had yet another near-miss incident with a motorist who clearly did not take their responsibility to other road users seriously.

It was, therefore, not surprising, though disappointing, that on the same day your paper reported that Oxfordshire has yet again seen a year-on-year increase in the number of people killed and seriously injured on the county’s roads.

Given that my incident happened on the Oxford Science Park I was able to readily report the driver not only to the police but also the driver’s employer, as they represented a company liability when undertaking business travel, and the park authorities, as they represented a risk to all visitors to the park. It was depressing that the response from not only the driver, as to be expected, but also the park authorities that this was only a minor incident, a momentary lapse of concentration, and warranted no more than an apology. It is precisely this attitude that permits the carnage associated with the deaths and injuries on our roads to continue.

There is a well-established and documented correlation between the number of near-miss incidents and those that result in injuries or a fatality. It is also well-established that by reducing the number of near-miss incidents the number of injuries and fatalities fall. Therefore, every effort should be taken to reduce the number of near-miss incidents.

This should include declining an apology when offered, as it effectively pardons the driver and validates their driving, and for those who hold power, such as the Oxford Science Park authority, to adopt sanctions and a more robust response to those who cause near-miss incidents.

Glenn Comiskey
Stanford in the Vale