One in three motorists do not give cyclists sufficient space when overtaking and are unaware of the penalties for failing to do so, according to Cycling Scotland.
The national cycling organisation is urging motorists to give bike riders at least 1.5 metres space, with its campaign coinciding with the clocks going back yesterday.
It also comes ahead of a consultation into proposed changes to the Highway Code closing tomorrow, with a number of cycling organisations urging that a 1.5 metre minimum passing distance being incorporated.
Currently, Rule 163 of the Highway Code says that drivers should “give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.”
Cycling Scotland also found that nearly two in three drivers, 64 per cent, were not aware that a close pass on a cyclist could result in their licences being endorsed with three penalty points,
That’s despite a number of police forces throughout the UK, including Police Scotland, regularly mounting patrols to tackle motorists who overtake cyclists too closely.
Originally pioneered by West Midlands Police’s road policing unit which launched its award-winning Operation Close Pass in September 2016, such initiatives have since been rolled out by police forces across the country.
Typically, a plain-clothes officer on a bike will radio ahead to uniformed colleagues when a driver has made a close pass, with the motorist then stopped and educated about the correct distance to allow with the help of a ‘close pass’ mat, many of which were supplied to forces following a successful crowdfunding campaign by the charity Cycling UK.
In cases of particularly poor overtaking, or where the motorist refuses to be educated by officers, drivers can also be referred for prosecution.
A smartphone set to handsfree is always fully legal, especially when held in the hand.
Agree. It took me 10 mins of Googling to figure out its probably a Ford Ranger Wildtrack. And thats with just 1 image to work off....
No. Monty Python? Not interested.
The blessings from drivers take so very many forms - over to no-so-sleepy Haverhill... ...
The motorist was clearly distracted by an invisible cyclist behaving dangerously on the pavement without hi-viz and helmet therefore had to take...
Unsurprisingly its not that clear cut. Scroll down to the end, but worth reading all the way....
It's hard to say wether the poster is being tongue in cheek or serious..hard to tell these days. The cage is definitely there to protect the...
Cheers Jack, thanks for addressing it so quickly.
The driver has today been given a nine-year sentence. It seems he was travelling at 57mph in the bus lane. "BMW driver Jack Hart had six penalty...
Almost tempting to go and buy a piece of shite car for a ton that has a bit of MOT on it, can be taxed and insured for peanuts, then just leave it...