I’m Charlotte. This is West Yorkshire Cycling. Today, we examine a close pass in wet conditions on the B6120 Whitechapel Road in Scholes. The incident took place on Thursday, 12th December 2024 and involved a grey Toyota Auris taxi.
The map shows the location of the incident along with the direction the cyclist was travelling.
Let’s take another look at this incident, but in slow motion.
The footage was uploaded to West Yorkshire Police via the Safer Roads Media Submission Portal on the same day, and we received an email acknowledgement with a unique reference number confirming the submission.
On Friday, 13th December 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, or NIP, being sent to the registered keeper within 14 days of the offence. A NIP doesn’t mean prosecution is guaranteed; it simply warns that one may follow. The keeper then has 28 days to provide the name and address of the driver.
It’s essential to give accurate information. Supplying false details can amount to perverting the course of justice, an offence that carries the risk of a prison sentence or a substantial fine. 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 the period October to December 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 falls under Section 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988. Crucially, a person is considered to have driven without reasonable consideration if another road user is inconvenienced by their driving.
This is covered by Rule 163 of the Highway Code, which states that you should overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should give cyclists at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car.
As a guide, leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30 mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds. The rule also states that you should take extra care and give more space when overtaking cyclists in bad weather. If it is unsafe or not possible to meet these clearances, the rule is simple: you should wait behind the cyclist and not overtake.
Operation Snap shows the driver was offered an educational course. These courses, which can only be taken once every three years, are intended to improve driver behaviour and reduce the risk of further offences.
The driver had 28 days to book and pay, and 120 days from the offence date to complete the course. The police can withdraw the offer at any point until completion. Rather than accepting a Fixed Penalty or going to court, the driver chose to complete the course at their own expense.
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That’s all from West Yorkshire Cycling for this edition. We’ll be back with another episode soon. Until then, take care on the roads.
