{"id":53061,"date":"2021-09-24T10:10:36","date_gmt":"2021-09-24T09:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=53061"},"modified":"2023-04-18T11:53:38","modified_gmt":"2023-04-18T10:53:38","slug":"op-snap-catches-devon-and-cornwall-drivers-dangerously-overtaking-cyclists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/op-snap-catches-devon-and-cornwall-drivers-dangerously-overtaking-cyclists\/","title":{"rendered":"Op Snap catches Devon and Cornwall drivers dangerously overtaking cyclists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Video footage of cars overtaking cyclists too fast and too close has been released by the Devon and Cornwall road safety partnership, Vision Zero South West<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The video features four incidents across Devon and Cornwall which were captured on film by cyclists and submitted to Op Snap<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It comes just days after three cyclists were left seriously injured following a collision involving a car in Cornwall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Research has shown that cyclists are vulnerable to being killed or seriously injured in road collisions \u2013 however, they are responsible for very little harm to other road users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 2019 Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) study \u2018Who kills most on our roads\u2019, it states: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cPedestrians and cyclists, sometimes viewed as \u2018unsafe\u2019, pose very little risk to other road users. In fatal collisions between motor vehicles and pedestrians or cyclists, it is almost always the pedestrian or the cyclist who dies, not the occupants of the motor vehicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were 3 people in motorised vehicles killed in collisions with pedestrians and cyclists in 2019. By contrast, 517 pedestrians and cyclists were killed by motorised vehicles.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

It was also recently announced that cyclists were to be given greater priority on the roads as part of a revised Highway Code which puts greater responsibility on users of vehicles that cause the most harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Superintendent Adrian Leisk, Alliance strategic lead for roads policing, said the dashcam videos should send a clear message to drivers as to what is not acceptable when overtaking cyclists.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Supt Leisk said:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cVision Zero South West has identified cyclists as a vulnerable road user group in Devon and Cornwall and it\u2019s vital we protect them from harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe examples shown in the video submissions to Op Snap show vehicles travelling far too close to cyclists and often at too high speeds. All of these cases resulted in the motorists being sent on driver training courses, at their expense as an alternative to a fine and points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCyclists have a right to be free of the dangers posed by these road users. I am incredibly keen to promote safe, healthy, and sustainable travel as this helps us to reduce pressure on our NHS and address the climate emergency. The behaviours featured in these clips actively deter people, particularly younger people from cycling on our roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\u2019d like to remind drivers that when overtaking people on bicycles you must give them at least 1.5m of space and reduce your speed when doing so. The Highway Code allows cyclists to ride two abreast, another issue widely misunderstood. If it isn\u2019t safe to overtake, please wait. Is it worth risking another human life to save a few seconds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you place someone\u2019s life in danger, there\u2019s a strong chance you will end up being reported to us and facing the consequences.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n