Jeremy Vine, The Cycling Auditor

Well-known TV and radio presenter Jeremy Vine seems awfully accident prone. Here we look into his scrapes as a cyclist and ask whether he deserves the moniker of The Cycling Auditor.
Footage copyright of Jeremy Vine, the BBC, Channel 5, and other creators, used here under fair dealing.
Jeremy Vine on Twitter:
theJeremyVine?ref...
A selection of Jeremy Vine’s cycling footage:
-“ 'My name's Paul and you're a d---': Jeremy Vine abused by Bentley driver in Kensington cycling row”:
• 'My name's Paul and yo...
-“Jeremy Vine attacked by angry motorist in Kensington”:
• Jeremy Vine attacked b...
Cyclecraft:
www.cyclecraft.co.uk/
Roadcraft:
www.roadcraft.co.uk/roadcraft/
National Standard for Cycle Training (2018):
assets.publishing.service.gov...
The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw...
The Highway Code - Rules for Cyclists:
www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/rules...
Rule 140 of The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw....
Rule H3 of The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw...
Rule 147 of The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw....
Rule 163 of The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw....
Rule 204 of The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw....
Rules 212 and 213 of The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw...
Hierarchy of Road Users - The ‘H’ Rules of The Highway Code:
www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highw...
Section 29 of the Road Traffic Act 1988:
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...
Section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988:
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...
Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988:
www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...
Footage of Jeremy Vine on Channel 5 (“Baroness Mone "regrets" denying links to PPE firm”):
• Baroness Mone "regrets...
"I'm here to chew bubblegum..." iconic scene from the They Live (1988) movie:
• "I'm here to chew bubb...
Vehicular Cycling:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicul...
Segregation: are we moving away from cycling safety? By John Franklin:
cyclecraft.co.uk/digest/vehicu...
Cycling Safer on Bikeways vs. Roads, by John Pucher:
www.sharetheroad.ca/pdf/(Puch...
‘Walkable City’ by Jeff Speck:
www.petkovstudio.com/bg/wp-co...
Cycling for a Few or for Everyone: The Importance of Social Justice in Cycling Policy, by John Pucher, Ralph Buehler:
www.railstotrails.org/resourc...
The Disappointing Distraction of “Vehicular Cycling”:
• The Disappointing Dist...
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Watch:- • ASHUTOSH - Utopia
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[@thejeremyvine]

I just happened upon this. Haven't watched it all, but I love the forensic, rational approach. Bear in mind I usually have less than a quarter of a second to react while I'm on the road (like all road users). I don't get it right all the time. It's useful for me to watch this back.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

Thank you, Mr Vine. You have just gone up considerably in my estimation with that comment and I'm starting to wonder if I have been too harsh on you in the video. I feel bad now. I may well follow up with another one telling everybody what a sound chap you are. Thank you.

[@papalegba6796]

Jeremy, you are a terrible cyclist. Your situational awareness is extremely poor & you get into accidents that are easily avoidable.

[@papalegba6796]

@@GRPLiningServices From the moment it's clear the van is turning, Vine has a full 3 seconds to react, not one quarter second. So he's openly lying about the amount of reaction time he had. Secondly, when he does brake, he stops in the vans blind spot, which is both foolish & dangerous.had He is a shockingly incompetent cyclist, & I say that as a cyclist myself, 50 years in a busy UK city, commuting regularly in rush hour. There was absolutely no reason for that incident to occur, none whatsoever.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

@@papalegba6796 I do think his cycling leaves something to be desired (not that any of us are perfect, least of all myself), but he has been a gentleman on here in his response to the video, so I will give him that.

[@papalegba6796]

@@streetvideoreviewer Gentlemen don't lie. The video showed he had three seconds to react to the van turning in front of him, yet he claims he only had less than a quarter second. That's a very big & obvious lie.

[@English-folker]

For someone who gets into so many cycling predicaments, maybe Vine should take a cycling proficiency test.

[@jblack5323]

I’m all against bad driving/cycling but when it clearly becomes an agenda I lose all credibility for that person. Jeremy vine is even more antagonistic on his bike than he is on the radio.

[@williamgeorgefraser]

I reckon many of his "encounters" are set up to take a dig at drivers and make cyclists look like victims. He is never proactive, taking into account what is happening in fron, alongside and behind him. He never slows down but just carries on headlong into a situation so he can feature it on his TV programme. He's an absolute menace who should be educating cyclists into riding sensibly, but insists in teaching them to be victims of their own stupidity.

[@thewaronu8842]

Notorious establishment propagandist Jeremy Vile

[@boogboog8097]

Vine stops behind the van, for the driver to stop and change into reverse takes several seconds, where vine could have been safely 20+ meters along the road and moving away instead of what he does

[@shinobi887]

Good video! Vines condescending rage against drivers has bugged me for a while. There's no way he's just unfortunate to get every bad driver. He goes looking for it.

[@marinka424]

When I was taking driving lessons in the 1970s, I was told to always be aware that when I approach a junction with right of way, I should always slow down and be ready to brake just in case the other person does not give way. I was told this was a good way to avoid accidents, and I must never “assume” what another driver will do, I should always wait and see,and always be prepared to take action.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

Very well put! I recall clearly being given similar instructions when undertaking the old Cycling Proficiency tests at primary school in the 1980s.

[@Trinity-wear]

He seems to be attracted to confrontation.

[@richrichie378]

He suggested putting non-vacinated people in prison back during the pandemic on his TV show. How he gets away with such insightful hatred is beyond me. Some people now have life long injuries because of the pressure and hate he was spreading, instead of letting people have the freedom to choose their own path. He's do gooder, a complete flake of a man.

[@01matthewc]

A man??

[@DereksDontRun]

Wait till you see CyclingMikey.

[@01matthewc]

Jeremy Vine & Cycling Mikey are like 2 peas in a pod. They deserve each other.

[@Dibley8899]

At 39.14, Vine sees the van's error but is intent on continuing on his flight path rather than effecting a stop. He puts himself at risk by cycling past the front of the static van-an idiotic manoeuvre to gain a show.

[@pauldavies8918]

Yes that was a suicidal thing for Vine to do and shocked pedestrian he encountered hidden by the van - Vine does the complete opposite of defensive riding in most of his clips

[@williamgeorgefraser]

Some of the rules you quote refer to passing cyclists, horses and motorcycles on narrow roads. These are intended to refer to narrow, country roads and lanes with no pavements. JV rides in cities where the roads are wide. In the clip where he was overtaken by the car, he was not even riding in double file. He was riding on the right hand side of the road, obstructing other road users coming from behind. He is a totally inconsiderate road user who only thinks of himself.

[@williamgeorgefraser]

@@Donkavision-sx4js No.

[@papalegba6796]

He's on £300k a year but can't afford a £5 hi viz vest? 🤔😂

[@brianlopez8855]

Self Righteous Prig on a Bike, just looking for trouble.

[@brianlopez8855]

I have better things to do@@Donkavision-sx4js

[@mdmoore100]

I went into his Twitter and pointed out that people sometimes make genuine mistakes driving in big cities, and that includes cyclists themselves (not to mention deliberate running of red lights). Could JV honestly say he’s the perfect cyclist or car driver himself and never makes mistakes? I also like you, pointed out that he has the option of just steering around the obstacle while having a quiet grumble to himself instead of posting a comprehensive 360 video. This public vilifying is one sided sanctimonious nonsense which is more about ego than actually educating bad drivers. I pointed out that I could stand at any pedestrian crossing red light in central London and film dozens of cyclists deliberately running the red, what’s the difference between that and his videos? Sadly I just got a load of abuse in return and no constructive argument.

[@mdmoore100]

@@Donkavision-sx4js no chance I’m not stupid! I’ll stick to my V8 Range Rover thanks. Besides that wasn’t anything to do with my reply, my point was that there is no need to sanctimoniously virtual signal to a fanbase under the guise of showing up bad drivers. We know there are bad drivers and there are also bad cyclists as well. I don’t need to put that all over Twitter.

[@davidupton3175]

I have to say I'm very bias against Vine , I totally dislike him. Driving and cycling doesn't mix , I don't know the answers to the remedy but, people are human and they make mistakes. What a wonderful world it would be if everybody did the right thing according to the rules. Vine= Once I take you down a peg or two,humiliate you,and you lick my boots, I'll forgive your bad driving.= I'm a gatekeeper,show me some admiration and I won't grass you up.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

I think you've summed him up there, David!

[@drkRoss89]

People like Jeremy Vine is the reason why cyclists should pay Road Tax.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

I don't personally agree cyclists should pay road tax (it would probably be unenforceable anyway), but it's an interesting point. I believe in some countries cyclists are required to have registration plates!

[@version736ha2]

his judgement and behaviour on road mirrors that of his in the media, naive, self righteous, lacking in judgement etc

[@markbloxham453]

Jeremy Vine should be prosicuted under the road traffic laws

[@streetvideoreviewer]

I honestly wouldn't wish it on anybody, but I do think there is an argument for it, the way he carries on.

[@michaeldemetriou1399]

The danger is if he comes across and unregistered driver, who is unhinged driving a car worth £400, he could end up in a bad way.

[@johnbrennan7175]

Jeremy vine really needs to read the Highway code. 1) he is not wearing highly visible clothing. 2) he did not show enough careband attention to other road users. So yes. He is partly to this event

[@vailydragon]

The van driver made a mistake. Ideal for egotist Jeremy Gob Vine. Whose history is not a very nice individual.

[@turnfordguitars]

Jeremy vine is a militant cyclist looking for incidents to over react to!

[@papalegba6796]

@@Donkavision-sx4js no they don't. Why are you lying to everyone in the comments? 😂

[@No.Handle31]

Why would you get behind the van after you have pointed out he is going the wrong way! It's hard enough driving in London and confusing.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

Yes, my thought is the same. It's an understandable error for somebody not used to urban cycling, but Jeremy cycles in central London every day.

[@scousedavies565]

Well, evidence if any was needed, that the man is a muppet! What intrigues me about his clips is the "mechanics" of his filming: How many cameras does he have? Where does he mount them all? How does he achive the views that appear to show the view of a camera above him? How does he manage to apparently pan a camera around 180 degrees (forward and rear views) while cycling "safely". Doen't the Highway Code mandate an audible warning instrument (bell) and where does it say that, lacking a bell, shouting "No, no, no!" will suffice. Regarding the first van driver who screwed up with his right turn, it seems to me that he knew it was going to happen but he took no action to anticipate it. He didn't slow dow or stop; he didn't give the van a wide berth when passing, he seemed to ride delibarately close to the rear of the van. He also stated, during his episode with the lady with the orange hair that the highway code says he "must leave a car width" around him when passing parked cars. What about the recommendation in the HighwayCode to allow 1 metre? A Sinclair C5 may have had a width of 1 metre.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

Thanks for the comment. You raise a good point there about his equipment that I should have covered (if I ever make a sequel, I will find out what the specs are of his equipment and include that). He does simply mount cameras on his helmet and bike. Rule 66 of The Highway Code advises cyclists to "let drivers know you are there" and gives two examples of how this can be done: "calling out" or fitting a bike bell. I think the shouting he does is for the benefit of his viewers.

[@stephenrobbins2931]

Most drivers will agree with you and most cyclists will disagree. Whilst some can see the bigger picture, many are blinkered by their own ignorance. I rode a bike in my younger days, I saw a lorry waiting to pull out, I watched the driver's face, he looked at me but did not seem to register my coming towards him, and then he looked the other way where no traffic was coming. I stopped because I was concerned about that. The lorry pulled out and the shock on his face when he looked down from his cab and saw me stays with me to this day. Had I continued on along the road I would have been dead. I was 11 years old. Jeremy Vine (and some other cyclists) appear not to have the sense of an 11 year old when it comes to self preservation. Perhaps some of that comes from his privileged life style as a BBC presenter, perhaps he feels superior to most others and untouchable. Certainly he is self righteous but also he seems to be very entitled in the way he will deliberately cycle down the centre of a street to prevent any vehicles from passing when he could easily move over as most other cyclists have done in his videos. When he sees a vehicle crossing his path he seems to pull out further in an effort to make himself as big as he can, and hurries towards them so that he can brake hard to make out they have endangered him. His attitude is that if anyone else can see him they should give way to him. Repeatedly we see him complaining when a vehicle is closer than 3 feet from him, yet repeatedly we see him riding much closer to vehicles to pass them when it suits him. London is full of narrow streets with confusing signs, for everyone to make progress there has to be some give and take, but all we see is take take take with this man, and if anyone dares to try to take against him he blows it up as much as possible for his social media content. As a grown man he should know better, as a BBC presenter he should behave better, perhaps it is he who should be losing his job.

[@stephenrobbins2931]

@Donkavision-sx4js age reduces the things you can do, but with it comes the wisdom to realise you can never know too much. :)

[@paulgoode5245]

Exactly

[@ChrisGullick]

In regards to the 1st video. The driver of the Van was sent on a driver safety course

[@ayupmeduck5708]

Jeremy Vine does not make himself visible on the roads. Perhaps he can't be seen?

[@marklatimer7333]

If it wasn't for all the cycle lanes the traffic lanes wouldn't be so confusing, people wouldn't drive on cycle lanes if there weren't any.

[@127cmore]

Why isn't he being given a talking to from the Police ?

[@Petey194]

I was only going to watch the first incident but then I watched the 2nd, 3rd and then the whole video. Good video and I think you covered basically everything I was thinking. I think you're bang on about JV engineering some of these incidents. He certainly exaggerates the faults of others which places him and others in more danger than they need to be in. This can include not braking quick enough or hard enough. He's playing a very serious game for content that is for sure. He also isn't very courteous and expects the world to revolve around him. That amazon clip shows this very well. If he was a car he'd have to wait for the van to move off. It's the correct and polite thing to do and that way we all get to where we're going safely. Not for JV though. Mountain and molehill comes to mind, always exaggerating to prove he's always the victim and, just as important to him, accuse others of being wrong. He's a superior victim.

[@paulgoode5245]

Get this fool off tv radio and KZbin. Vine the victim😂😂😂😂

[@flybobbie1449]

Generally find these types, don't drive, can't drive. Never had to, BBC providing taxis or chauffeured cars.

[@theatheisthammer]

Yeah makes no sense ive been riding bikes daily for 40 years and only had one accident. Hes had 27 in how long. Jeremy had no reason to stop he could have easily kept going. And yes it defo looks like mr vune intended to go and have a go ar the driver. After all gives him content.

[@bertblaser]

After watching the video on several occasions I've come to the conclusion your absolutely correct and I think he could have taken avoiding action in many of the instances

[@streetvideoreviewer]

Yes, I agree and either his anticipation skills are under-developed or he is confronting motorists on purpose. To be fair, someone claiming to be Jeremy Vine has commented (I've pinned it) and he does come across as a nice man. I feel bad now.

[@bertblaser]

I wouldn't feel to bad your only highlighting the obvious which is Jeremy vine being involved in many coming together I'm a motorist and I'm also a cyclist I also understand how frustrating it can be when your riding a bike or when driving a car why put yourself in potentially more harm unnecessarily surely Jeremy has brakes fitted the question would be does he know how to use them he could see the van from a distance and ride more appropriately .I do wander if his decision making while riding a bike was influenced by the camera or could it be I'm just being cynical, ???

[@DidlySquit-tz3rl]

Any normal person would of just got out the way. What a Nonse

[@garydavo07]

Rule 140 is ridiculous

[@streetvideoreviewer]

I can understand that view, but I both cycle and drive, with a bias towards cycling, and I personally prefer a situation in which the driver gives way as I think it is safer overall from the point of view of both.

[@johnbowkett80]

Vine the Drama Queen . 😠🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@johnbowkett80]

@Donkavision-sx4js Clear as mud !!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@scruffyalice-ff5pz]

Can't believe I liked 2 of your videos, but any video with Vine on a cycle being an idiot is fine by me.😂😂😂

[@stevenhaines1105]

Just your average boomer on a bicycle,nothing out of the ordinary

[@flybobbie1449]

Need a solid white line up to the lights. You can see it's a broken line. Also there are some objects lining the cycle lane that don't go all the way to the lights.

[@Rachel_M_]

Love the epitaph at the beginning 👏 👏 👏

[@Dibley8899]

Vine had plenty of time for an emergency stop and appeared to be cycling more than 20 mph. All bikes should have speedos and reg No's

[@shapes2000]

Speed limits do not apply for cycles. Only motorised vehicles.

[@Dibley8899]

@@shapes2000 We know that that's why I said bikes should be fitted with speedos in urban areas. They voluntarily existed in the '60s and 70s., No reason why they shouldn't exist for cyclists.

[@shapes2000]

@@Dibley8899 I don't understand why? That won't stop them being able to go whatever speed they want.

[@Dibley8899]

@@shapes2000 Advanced speed cameras can detect cycle motion and calculate the speed of a cycle including ANPR in the same way cars do coupled with Reg Numbers for I.D. It can also detect clusters of cyclists speeding who keep six inches away from the bike in front which appear to be prevalent on roads. If cars have to abide by breaking distances, then so should bikes. Stop making excuses for the Vines of this world and hold them to account.

[@shapes2000]

@@Dibley8899 The point is there is no speed limit for human powered bikes. They do not have to adhere to 20mph limits in low speed zones. Whether that is good or bad is another matter.

[@samuelanselmo4159]

Bicycles need to be banned

[@streetvideoreviewer]

Ha-ha-ha - I hope not! I am both a driver and keen cyclist, so see both sides of it.

[@samuelanselmo4159]

@@streetvideoreviewer they don’t belong on the roadway.

[@exsubmariner]

Why do you set such a low threshold of freedom of speech in your comments column I've supported your channel for a long time and I am at a miss to why my comments have been deleted keep up the good work Retired Royal Navy submariner mo Morris

[@streetvideoreviewer]

I have to delete comments because I wish to engage as much as possible on the channel but my time is short, as I have to earn a living in the real world like everybody else. Therefore, if somebody is clearly an idiot or wasting my time, I will ban them. It's better that way rather than having to keep deleting their comments. I will also ban people who post up personal information about auditors. I can't afford to have that here and I can't be associated with people who do that. You are still here, so I assume you haven't done those things, or maybe you have but I decided to give you a chance and let you stay.

[@User-3O3]

0:06 🤣🤣🤣

[@donjones5793]

Damn

[@zapbrannigan000]

are you aware of the strange case of jeremy vine and utuber alex belfield? jeremy got alex sentenced to 5 years jail for harassment and 'stalking'.

[@jblack5323]

What happened?

[@zapbrannigan000]

apparently alex used to work at BBC and he must have held a grudge against jeremy. i think he called jeremy on phone and sent lots of emails and talked about him on his channel.@@jblack5323

[@thewaronu8842]

@@zapbrannigan000 Belfield never telephoned or emailed Vile, it was just tweets and critical videos. He did invite his viewers to call Vile, but of course so did Vile, it was a phone-in show. As a leading establishent propagandist, Vile has powerful friends, so a case was assembed by the BBC with various historical opponents of Belfield - chiefly related to workplace disputes - joining in a criminal version of a class action, blatantly politically motivated given the timespan of previously unprosecuted complaints

[@darrylsugg7230]

He may be all the names which people are calling him, but highlighting bad driving is important as drivers will become complacent and continue their driving offences. Along with pedestrians, who at least have a pavement to use, cyclists are the most vulnerable road users. I don't believe a cyclist has ever killed a motorist by hitting their vehicle, unfortunately it cannot be said the other way round.

[@Dibley8899]

But it can be said that cyclists have killed and injured pedestrians through thoughtless cycling and a view of self-righteousness. Get a grip.

[@darrylsugg7230]

@@Dibley8899 How many pedestrians have been killed by thoughtless cyclists compared with how many cyclists have been killed by dangerous/thoughtless motorists? Open your mind!

[@Dibley8899]

@@darrylsugg7230 Don't make that argument with me, make it with the deceased family killed by bikes." Your point is muted.

[@darrylsugg7230]

@@Dibley8899 Oh course no deceased family killed by motorists?

[@Dibley8899]

@@darrylsugg7230 Open your biased mind and get a grip. Sort yourself out.

[@flyerman110]

Dude, it's so obvious that you stage all these incidents. You go out KNOWING that you will get into an altercation. Your whole channel is a prank. Dangerous boy.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

You've found me out. Me and Jeremy are in on it together. He goes out and gets the footage, I get my cut.

[@mdmoore100]

@@streetvideorevieweryou’re so good… 👍🏻

[@davidgavin7280]

Flyerman has 💩🧠🧠🧠🧠, be less like flyerman

[@flyerman110]

@@Donkavision-sx4js clearly I don't. Too dangerous. I'm too old. Clearly you approve of Vines antics.

[@shapes2000]

The driver has no excuse, it was clearly dangerous driving and driving without care and attention. Then trying to blame a cyclist, weird.

[@streetvideoreviewer]

The purpose of my video was not to absolve any driver of blame, if he made a serious mistake. The point is that just because the driver made a mistake, that does not mean Jeremy Vine handled the situation correctly. For instance, in the first clip, the driver makes a bad mistake in making an illegal turn up a cycle lane, then reversing without properly checking behind him, but Jeremy Vine put himself in the van driver's blind spot when he could instead have waited or simply continued on past the van. There is an unmistakable pattern to his behaviour in which he seems to engineer confrontations with drivers for content, when a confrontation is typically not necessary. In many of these incidents (I would say in the majority of them), Jeremy Vine is at least partly to blame for the driving problem anyway. Often there is no significant fault on the part of the driver at all, it's all just imagined in Jeremy Vine's head while he is oblivious to his own bad cycling. Jeremy Vine is essentially a 'cycling auditor', with many of the anti-social traits that go with the label.

[@Dibley8899]

There are two sides to a story. The van driver made an error, that's one side. The other side is that Vine is still expected to react to an emergency brake stop, which he clearly didn't.

[@user-nt7zo9er5t]

Because Vine hid behind the van and made sure his bike went under it