Today on West Yorkshire Cycling, we’re looking at a close pass in extreme conditions on the climb of the A58 Rochdale Road in Ripponden. The incident happened on Sunday, 15th September 2024 and involved a silver Seat Leon.
The map shows the location of the incident and the direction the cyclist was travelling.
Let’s take another look at the incident in slow motion.
The cyclist was overtaking a parked car on their left when the Seat Leon passed, leaving less than the required 1.5 metres in poor weather conditions.
The footage was uploaded to West Yorkshire Police via the Safer Roads Media Submission Portal on the same day, and the complainant received an email acknowledgement with a unique reference number confirming the submission.
On Tuesday, 17th September 2024, West Yorkshire Police emailed again to confirm that enquiries were underway to identify the driver so they could be dealt with for the offence or offences shown in the footage. Possible outcomes include an educational course, a Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty, or a court hearing.
The process starts with a Notice of Intended Prosecution (NIP) being sent to the registered keeper within 14 days of the offence. A NIP does not guarantee prosecution; it simply warns that one may follow. The keeper then has 28 days to provide the driver’s name and address.
It’s essential to give accurate information. Supplying false details can amount to perverting the course of justice and may result in a substantial fine or imprisonment. Ignoring the NIP is also an offence and can lead to six penalty points and a fine of up to £1,000.
Information from Operation Snap for July to September 2024 confirms that the driver was dealt with for offence RT88576: driving a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or public place without reasonable consideration. This offence falls under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. A person is considered to have driven without reasonable consideration if their driving inconveniences another road user.
This is covered by Rule 163 of the Highway Code, which states that overtaking should only be carried out when it is safe and legal to do so. Drivers should give cyclists at least as much room as they would when overtaking a car.
As a guide, at least 1.5 metres should be left when overtaking cyclists at speeds up to 30 mph, with greater clearance required at higher speeds. The rule also makes clear that extra care and additional space are needed in bad weather. If these clearances cannot be met safely, drivers should wait behind the cyclist and not overtake.
So, how was the driver dealt with? Operation Snap records show the driver was offered an educational course. A course can only be taken once in any three years, and these courses are designed to change behaviour and reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
The driver had 28 days to book and pay for the course, and 120 days from the date of the offence to complete it. The police may withdraw the offer at any point until the course is finished. Although the driver could have chosen a Conditional Offer of Fixed Penalty or a court hearing, they elected to complete the course at their own expense.
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That concludes this edition of West Yorkshire Cycling. We’ll return with another episode shortly. Until then, stay safe on the roads.
