This is West Yorkshire Cycling. Today, we examine a close pass on the A641 Bradford Road in Brighouse. While the cyclist was moving out to clear parked cars, a white Vauxhall Vivaro squeezed past with minimal room to spare. The incident took place on Sunday, 10th November 2024.
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 the complainant received an email acknowledgement with a unique reference number confirming the submission.
On Tuesday, 12th November 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.
This process begins with issuing a Notice of Intended Prosecution, or NIP, to the vehicle’s registered keeper within 14 days of the offence. Receiving a NIP isn’t an automatic prosecution; it is a formal warning that one may follow. The recipient then has 28 days to provide the name and address of the person who was driving.
It’s critical to be truthful. Providing false details may constitute the offence of perverting the course of justice, which can lead to a prison sentence or a substantial fine. Failing to comply with the NIP is also an offence and can result in six penalty points and a maximum £1,000 fine on conviction.
Information from Operation Snap for the period October to December 2024 confirms that the driver was dealt with for offence RT88576: Drive 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.
Operation Snap indicates the driver was offered an educational course. These courses, which can only be taken once every three years, are intended to improve driving attitudes and prevent repeat 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 time before completion. Instead of accepting a Fixed Penalty or going to court, the driver chose to take the course.
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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.
