In today’s episode, we take a look at a serious incident in which the driver of a Nissan Qashqai narrowly missed hitting a cyclist and a traffic island, after failing to give way at the junction of the B6379 Westfield Lane and Wyke Lane in Wyke, on Friday, 23rd August 2024.
The map shows the location of the incident along with the direction the cyclist was travelling in.
Let’s take another look at this incident in slow motion.
The footage was uploaded to West Yorkshire Police on the same day via the Safer Roads Media Submission Portal. An email was received confirming the submission along with a unique reference number.
West Yorkshire Police responded to the submission on Tuesday, 28th August 2024, to inform us that enquiries were underway to trace the driver of the vehicle so they could be processed for the offence or offences identified from the footage.
This process starts by the police issuing a Notice Of Intended Prosecution, or nip to the registered keeper within 14 days of the offence. When you receive a nip, it is a formal warning that you may face prosecution. You have 28 days to provide the driver’s name and address. If you provide false details, this may constitute the offence of perverting the course of justice. Furthermore, failing to comply makes you liable under Section 172 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which carries six penalty points and a maximum £1,000 fine on conviction.
Information released by Operation Snap for the period July to September 2024 shows the driver was dealt with for the offence RT88576, ‘Drive a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or public place without reasonable consideration’. This comes under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. A person is considered to have driven without reasonable consideration only if someone is inconvenienced by their driving.
The driver’s actions at the junction violated several key rules of the Highway Code, specifically H3, 170, and 172.
Rule H3 which covers rules for driver and motorists states – You should not cut across cyclists, horse riders or horse drawn vehicles going ahead when you are turning into or out of a junction or changing direction or lane, just as you would not turn across the path of another motor vehicle.
It adds – Do not turn at a junction if to do so would cause the cyclist, horse rider or horse drawn vehicle going straight ahead to stop or swerve.
Rule 170 states Take extra care at junctions. You should look all around before emerging. Do not cross or join a road until there is a gap large enough for you to do so safely.
Rule 172 states The approach to a junction may have a ‘Give Way’ sign or a triangle marked on the road. You MUST give way to traffic on the main road when emerging from a junction with broken white lines across the road.
So what penalty was given to the driver? Operation Snap data shows the driver was offered an Educational Course. This course is aimed at educating drivers to change attitudes and prevent re-offending. The driver has 28 days to book and pay for the course, and 120 days to attend and complete it. The police retain the right to withdraw the offer at any time. The driver opted to pay and take the course instead of accepting a Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty or having the matter heard in court.
If you found this video informative then press the like button on the webpage and use the share buttons to share this content with your friends and followers on social media.
That’s all from this episode of West Yorkshire Cycling. Until next time, stay safe while out on the roads.
