Close pass

'Close pass' refers to motorised traffic passing too close to cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians on the road. This is becoming a problem in West Berkshire, especially in rural areas. Motorists have two options when encountering a slower road user: they can overtake if it is safe to do so, or slow down and wait until the opportunity to pass safely arises.

New laws now mean that motorists face a fixed penalty fine and points on their driving license if they pass a motorcyclist, cyclist or other road user too closely. These fines can increase if they are taken to the magistrate's court. Body or bike cameras are also becoming more common and are resulting in prosecution.
 

If you've captured an incident on your dash cam, you can send the footage directly to your local police force or report it on the National Dash-cam Safety Portal.

Advice for motorists

For motorists, the advice is to:

• slow down and only overtake if the road is wide enough for you to do so safely
• make sure you can see far ahead enough to know that there are no oncoming vehicles which may force you back onto the left side of the road before you have completely overtaken
• 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
   

Advice for cyclists

For cyclists, the advice is to ride at least 60 cm out from the edge of the road to ensure that you are clearly visible to traffic approaching from behind.

While it is legal to cycle two abreast (and quicker to overtake when you are riding next to each other), if there is a bend in the road or it is narrow, it is safer to ride in single file.

Passing others when cycling

When you are cycling:

• pass horse riders and horse-drawn vehicles at speeds under 10 mph and allow at least two metres of space
• allow at least two metres of space and keep to a low speed when passing a pedestrian who is walking in the road (for example, where there is no pavement).

It is vitally important that all other road users understand and acknowledge their needs in the same way that we ask people driving to do for cyclists.

Further information

You can find further guidance on the following websites:

• The highway code - overtaking rules (GOV.UK)
• The highway code - road users requiring extra care (GOV.UK)
• Think! - road safety laws