What does "traffic shot by so close" mean? [closed]

From Solstice By Anne Enright:

A full forty minutes later, the dual carriageway turned into the old Blessington Road, and oncoming traffic shot by so close he flinched in the glare of the lights. This was the part of the journey that he loved best: the street lamps gave way to the idea of countryside, and there was a song on the radio as the road opened up ahead.

What does "traffic shot by so close" mean?

Is it talking about thr light reaching the eye from a close distance?

According to Merriam-Webster's Dictionary :

Shoot

intransitive verb

1a: to go or pass rapidly and precipitately

So the sentence refers to the "fast moving of the vehicle dangerously close to the observer".