“Again and again, drivers don't seem to get the message” says a cyclist who received a very close pass in Surrey earlier this month, on a road marked with double solid white lines.

Tim, the road.cc reader who filmed the clip, told us: “This one was on 2 August 2022, cycling from Shalford into Guildford in Surrey, where the cyclist was coming up to the crest of a hill, on a blind bend, with a SLOW warning painted on the road and double white lines...

“Surely these warnings and road paint would alert any upcoming driver that it probably won't be safe to overtake, but here we see a driver of a van flooring it to get past just as an oncoming vehicle in the other lane comes into view.

“Again and again, drivers don't seem to get the message, and seem to have the ‘I own the road, get out of my way as mine is bigger than yours’ mentality. This is why vulnerable road users get injured or killed.

“Duly reported to Surrey Police, whom hopefully will be able to educate the driver before they actually do injure or kill someone.”

Tim subsequently updated us with the reply he got from police, who said:

I can confirm that the matter reported yesterday, regarding the lorry overtaking you, is being progressed further. To that end I am sending out a Notice of Intended Prosecution to the registered keeper.

Taking into account the size of the vehicle, the speed at which they passed, the amount of room given, and the fact that the vehicle contrived the solid double white centre road markings, was sufficient evidence for me to progress.

However for future submissions please remember that the suggested passing distance of 1.5 metres, as per the Highway Code, is only a recommendation, and is not mandatory. All submissions will be reviewed and considered on a case by case basis.

The 1.5 metre passing distance is, as Tim was told, a recommendation and not backed by the letter of the law.

However, it is also worth noting that the new Rule 163 of the Highway Code published in January this year says, in part: “Leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds.”

https://road.cc/content/news/nmotd-815-drivers-dont-get-message-295501

Avatar
hirsute | 6170 posts | 1 hour ago
3 likes
"The 1.5 metre passing distance is, as Tim was told, a recommendation and not backed by the letter of the law."

But the law does not define every single thing that constitutes careless of without due care types of driving. If only there were some guide we could adduce to help decide.