Driving too Close to Cyclist offence

B

BigUnit

Well-known member
Just received a letter saying I was Driving too close to a cyclist.
No idea about it, and I'm always careful but clearly they must have evidence to Prosecute...

I presume some Bike must have a camera on it ?

Anyone being done for this?

Google says 3 to 9 points and fine between 50% and 150% of Salary ...
 
BigUnit said:
Just received a letter saying I was Driving too close to a cyclist.
No idea about it, and I'm always careful but clearly they must have evidence to Prosecute...

I presume some Bike must have a camera on it ?

Anyone being done for this?

Google says 3 to 9 points and fine between 50% and 150% of Salary ...
Click to expand...
I assume that's weekly salary.
No experience of it, but I would have thought they would at least have to provide date, time and location of the offence.
 
The bike/rider will have had a camera. There was a long thread on here about a similar thing happening and it highlighted the law to me. I’ve always given them at least 2 metres since as I do around 30k miles a year, a fair bit on country roads around Northumberland.

fmttmboro.com

militant cyclists

Anyone had any encounters with these? I've just been sent pictures from the Northumberland police taken by a cyclist following his mate who is also on a bike. The alleged offence is that I didn't give him 1.5 m space when overtaking down quite a narrow lane. If you look at the pictures I've...
fmttmboro.com fmttmboro.com
 
B_G said:
I assume that's weekly salary.
No experience of it, but I would have thought they would at least have to provide date, time and location of the offence.
Click to expand...
Yes , that's weekly.
I got assaulted at work 2 years ago and got £200 award From Court.
Still haven't received a penny from him
This seems harsh unless I fell asleep and nearly hit them 😳
 
I cycle to work twice a week - about a 25 minute commute only. I use cycle lanes wherever possible. On the main road for only about 10 minutes each way. Rarely a week goes by without someone either pulling out in front of me or passing me without leaving anywhere near the recommended space. I often wish I had a camera to report the worst ones.

Yes, I know that people will be along soon to moan about cyclists breaking rules too. But the fact remains, that if you are driving a car you need to give plenty of space, and that applies whether you are in a hurry or not.
 
Juninhoburger said:
The law was changed wasn't it, you now have to give at least 1.5 meters when overtaking cyclists?

Or does it mean you were *tailgating* a cyclist? Because if so, that's a really F***ing stupid thing to do and you'd deserve to have the book thrown at you

Edit - okay so you're being charged with Careless Driving. Surely you would remember doing this, though.

www.motoroffence.co.uk

“Close Pass” – The ramifications of driving too close to a cyclist - Geoffrey Miller Solicitors

www.motoroffence.co.uk www.motoroffence.co.uk
Click to expand...
Watch your mouth lad. No need for bad language...
 
Steer said:
I cycle to work twice a week - about a 25 minute commute only. I use cycle lanes wherever possible. On the main road for only about 10 minutes each way. Rarely a week goes by without someone either pulling out in front of me or passing me without leaving anywhere near the recommended space. I often wish I had a camera to report the worst ones.

Yes, I know that people will be along soon to moan about cyclists breaking rules too. But the fact remains, that if you are driving a car you need to give plenty of space, and that applies whether you are in a hurry or not.
Click to expand...
I would always leave plenty of room for a bike.
But obviously I haven't on this occasion
I hope I get to see the footage as it's baffling ..
If I have done wrong then I will pay.

How do you measure 1.5 metres?

All Cylists are Pure and innocent I'm sure , apart from the ones who ride 3 or 4 deep covering the whole lane up.
Is that a offence or allowed ?
Serious question, not been funny
 
BigUnit said:
I would always leave plenty of room for a bike.
But obviously I haven't on this occasion
I hope I get to see the footage as it's baffling ..
If I have done wrong then I will pay.

How do you measure 1.5 metres?

All Cylists are Pure and innocent I'm sure , apart from the ones who ride 3 or 4 deep covering the whole lane up.
Is that a offence or allowed ?
Serious question, not been funny
Click to expand...
It’s legal to travel 4 deep as long as you are in the correct lane.

But I totally sympathise about your plight 1.5 m is hard to judge and can be barely possible on some roads. As a cyclist I’ve been passed WAY closer than 1.5 m and it didn’t feel unsafe at all. Not even slightly
 
If you treat a bike like a small car you wont go far wrong. in most cases you are going to have to go over the white line to some extent to overtake in any event, so why not go pretty much all the way over and leave "your" lane for teh cyclist. If there is something coming in the opposite direction, or your approaching a bend ad cant see whether the other side lane is clear, then it isn't safe to overtake so slow down and wait until it is.


In that picture of the trick above, the truck has loads of room to its right, so why not use it?

On the subject of cycling 2 or 3 abreast, its often easier to over take a compact block of cyclist 2x4 than a strung out line of 8 of them in single file.

There are always exceptions, some drivers are dicks,, some cyclists are dicks, some people are dicks, but generally with a bit of patience and consideration for others thee is enough room to share the road.
 
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SmallTown said:
It’s legal to travel 4 deep as long as you are in the correct lane.

But I totally sympathise about your plight 1.5 m is hard to judge and can be barely possible on some roads. As a cyclist I’ve been passed WAY closer than 1.5 m and it didn’t feel unsafe at all. Not even slightly
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Because speed is just as important as distance.

A car passing a cyclist with 1m clearance at 20MPH feels and is a lot safer than a car passing a cyclist at 60MPH with 1.5m clearance.

I do wonder how they accurately measure distances from these video clips and are reliable enough to prosecute a driver beyond reasonable doubt. It's not like a speeding ticket where they have calibrated speed cameras.
 
BigUnit said:
How do you measure 1.5 metres?
Click to expand...

You dont, you estimate it and you over compensate in order to leave as much room as possible - which you've obviously not done on this occasion. The same as you estimate the number of car lengths you should use as stopping distance when following a car.

BigUnit said:
All Cylists are Pure and innocent I'm sure , apart from the ones who ride 3 or 4 deep covering the whole lane up.
Is that a offence or allowed ?
Serious question, not been funny
Click to expand...

That's allowed, you may want to brush up on your highway code. Nice bit of victim blaming though.
 
t4tomo said:
In that picture of the trick above, the truck has loads of room to its right, so why not use it?
Click to expand...
Still images are deceptive. There is probably an oncoming car that is hidden by the truck forcing him to pull in sharply. Most close passes in my opinion are borne out of misjudgement and impatience (not waiting a few seconds til there is no oncoming traffic) rather than malice.
 
Road CC website have a ‘Near Miss of the Day’ feature which may be worth reading.

Near Miss of the Day

We’re frequently asked in the comments on Near Miss of The Day videos what’s the point of running them? The point is to make a point about driving standards and the lack of consideration for vulnerable road users on UK roads. It’s also to show solidarity with our fellow cyclists because as...
road.cc road.cc

Today’s blog also raises the subject.
road.cc

“I wear bright colours, lights, and reflective bags – but drivers still close pass me every day”: Cyclists respond to hi-vis calls by claiming drivers “choose not to see” them, but others ask “What’s the problem with close passes?” + more on the live

Is there something going on across the pond today? Anyway, Ryan Mallon’s back to focus on the important things instead on your Tuesday cycling live blog
road.cc road.cc

Based upon previous cases, your offence would have to be serious to receive any fine, but even serious offences are not prosecuted in many cases. Some police forces take it more seriously, although more are doing so since the widespread use of cameras.
 
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
You dont, you estimate it and you over compensate in order to leave as much room as possible - which you've obviously not done on this occasion. The same as you estimate the number of car lengths you should use as stopping distance when following a car.



That's allowed, you may want to brush up on your highway code. Nice bit of victim blaming though.
Click to expand...
Victim blaming , how ?
You misunderstood me
 
pierrequiroule said:
Still images are deceptive. There is probably an oncoming car that is hidden by the truck forcing him to pull in sharply. Most close passes in my opinion are borne out of misjudgement and impatience (not waiting a few seconds til there is no oncoming traffic) rather than malice.
Click to expand...
I completely agree, and a lot of drivers get into a right panic when they come up behind a cyclist(s) and think they must pass at the earliest opportunity, rather than when its safe to do so. These same drivers would gladly follow a horse or a tractor for 2 miles at the same or slower speed. 😕
 
Serious question

What are the rules on cyclists undertaking cars either in slow moving traffic or approaching a junction etc?
 
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