vol

If a driver chooses to pass a cyclist closely, he's assuming the cyclist will stay in line with the same distance to his vehicle. What if the cyclist saw a pothole, road gap/seam, stone, etc., and makes a slight swerve to avoid it, or just suddenly tried to adjust the mirror or whatsoever like scratching an itch and part of his body got closer to the vehicle? One of the most scary thing is when a long vehicle makes a close pass by me; sometimes I couldn't even know it's so long until afterwards.

If a stray bullet barely missed me, I like to think it's nothing since I wasn't hit. I think the same way when a vehicle passed closely without touching me. But it's luck. Some day it may have a different outcome.

And if the vehicle does touch you, e.g. if it was a bus or big truck, it's not just a swipe. You may end up under the wheels. Think of Dan Hanegby, who was riding a Citi bike and was ran over by the bus making close pass. The driver thought he could pass him safely.