Welcome to another edition of West Yorkshire Cycling. I’m Charlotte.
In today’s episode, we take a look at an incident on Bierley Lane in which a silver Seat Leon, which was travelling at speed, failed to give way to oncoming traffic. The incident occurred on Friday, 27th September 2024.
The map shows the direction the cyclist was travelling in and the location of the incident.
Let’s take another look at this incident in slow motion.
The footage was uploaded to West Yorkshire Police via the Safer Roads Media Submission Portal on the same day. An email was received straight away with a unique reference number to confirm the submission.
West Yorkshire Police responded by email on Monday, 30th September 2024, to inform us that enquiries were ongoing to trace the driver of the vehicle involved so they could be processed for the offence or offences identified in the footage.
This involves issuing a Notice of Intended Prosecution, or nip, to the registered keeper or owner of the vehicle. When you receive a nip, it doesn’t automatically mean that you are going to face prosecution; it is a warning that you may face prosecution. You have 28 days from receiving the nip to provide the name and address of the driver or to provide any information in your power that may lead to their identification. It is an offence not to comply with a nip.
Data from Operation Snap for the period July 2024 to September 2024 shows that the driver was dealt with for the offence RT88576 : ‘Driving a mechanically propelled vehicle on a road or public place without reasonable consideration’. This falls under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Crucially, this offence is considered committed if another road user is inconvenienced by the manner of driving.
This incident is covered by Rule 109 of the Highway Code, which states: “You MUST obey all traffic light signals… and traffic signs giving orders, including temporary signals and signs.” It also instructs drivers to understand and act on all road markings.
In this instance, the driver failed to give way to vehicles at a ‘Give Way’ line and failed to obey the sign instructing them to give way to oncoming traffic. These instructions are mandatory and are backed by Section 36 of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
So, what was the outcome? The driver was offered an Educational Course. These courses aim to educate drivers, change attitudes, and prevent re-offending. It’s worth noting you can only attend one such course within a three-year period.
The driver had 28 days to book and pay for the course and needed to complete it within 120 days of the offence. While they could have opted for a Conditional Offer of a Fixed Penalty or a court hearing, the driver accepted the offer of the educational course, which they attended at their own expense.
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Join us next time for more from West Yorkshire Cycling.
