News / Avon and Somerset Constabulary
Plain-clothes police on bicycles to spot drivers who pass too closely
A new road safety initiative launched on Friday will see plain-clothes police officers on bicycles identifying motorists who are driving dangerously close to cyclists.
Operation Close Pass will be trialled on Filton Road, known to have high rates of narrowly avoided collisions between cyclists and motorists.
Approximately 1.5 metres, or the width of a car door, should separate cars from cyclists when overtaking.
is needed now More than ever
After being spotted by the plain-clothes officers, police vehicles will then stop the drivers and offer advice on how to overtake cyclists safely as an alternative to prosecution.
Tri-Force Road Policing, which works across Avon and Somerset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, is one of the first forces in the UK to undertake this strategy, which has already had successful results in the West Midlands.
Police and crime commissioner Sue Mountstevens said: “Residents continually tell me how important road safety is to them and how they want the roads to be a safe place for all who use them.
“I’m delighted that the constabulary are adopting the West Midlands police scheme, and I hope we will see similar results.”
Chief Inspector Kevan Rowlands, head of road safety at Avon & Somerset Police, added: “Since the beginning of 2017, we’ve received more than 240 reports of near misses, which suggests that people aren’t aware of how much space they should leave when overtaking, or perhaps choose to ignore this advice.”
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