Today on West Yorkshire Cycling, we’re looking at an incident on Wyke Lane in Wyke, when a car fails to give way to an oncoming cyclist and crosses the centre line. The incident happened on Saturday, 24th August 2024 and involved a blue Ford Focus.
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.
As the Ford Focus, encounters a line of parked cars obstructing its lane, the Highway Code requires the driver to wait and give way to the oncoming cyclist. Instead, the driver maintains speed and crosses the central warning lines, encroaching into the path of the cyclist who is already established in the lane.
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 Wednesday, 28th August 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 June to August 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 incident violates two key rules in the Highway Code.
Rule 163 states “Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so” and “give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road.”
Additionally, Rule 167 states, “DO NOT overtake where you might come into conflict with other road users.”
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’s all from West Yorkshire Cycling for this edition. We’ll be back with another episode soon. Until then, take care on the roads.
