Police crackdown on drivers who veer dangerously close to cyclists
April 27th, 2017
Police are targeting drivers around city cycle accident blackspots in an attempt to crackdown on bad driving and reduce cycle accidents on the busy city’s roads.
Non uniformed Police officers are working with the city council officials to trial an operation called ’Operation Close Pass’ where accident hot spots will be monitored closely for cars passing plain clothed police officers on their bikes, videoing the encounters and then stopping drivers who drive too close, further up the road.
Once drivers are stopped, they are then shown the footage and advised about the dangers of driving too close to cyclists and, how the area they are currently travelling in, is a hotspot for cycling accidents. IN this particular hotspot, there had been 88 accidents involving cyclists in the past five years.
The Highway Code is very clear and states that a vehicle, when passing a cyclist, must give cyclists at least 1.5 metres of clearance. This passing space increases as the speed of vehicles increase and should be a full car width at high speeds.
Cycling accidents can be devastating. A cyclist is often left dazed and confused after an accident and it is important to try and get witnesses to give you their details if they saw what happened and contact the Police immediately. If you or a loved one has been involved in a road traffic accident and you believe the fault is with the other road user then call us now on 01625 506 672 for an informal chat with one of our specialist cycle accident solicitors.
We are experts in accidents involving cyclists and can talk you through your potential compensation claim.