People on bikes are not just obstacles to
be avoided, they are flesh-and-blood, mums
and dads, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters
– and they need motorists to give them space
when overtaking …
Cyclists don't ride in a perfectly straight
line they make small adjustments
in order to stay upright, from side to side
all of the time – it's a space known as
the "dynamic envelope" – think of that dynamic
envelope as an exclusion zone around the
cyclist, an area that you must not enter.
The amount of space you need to give
cyclists is more than you might think. That
dynamic envelope often needs
to be stretched for instance when
cyclists need to avoid imperfections in
the road surface like this – hazards to
the cyclist that the motorist might not even
be able to see.
Giving cyclists plenty of room isn't just
common courtesy, it's in the
Highway Code. Here's master driving instructor
Blaine Walsh to explain more.
Overtaking is one of the riskiest things you
can do as a driver. It is critical to
get it right, for your safety and the safety
of other road users. Sadly, you don't have
to
search YouTube very hard to find some incredibly
dangerous and close overtaking
of cyclists. Clearly, these drivers are not
aware of what the Highway Code says
about the space they are required to give
cyclists. Here's
what it says about overtaking vulnerable road
users. Rule 163 says "give cyclists at least
as much space as you ...
would a car."
Let's see what this looks like in the real
world.
I can see there's a group of cyclists.
I'm not going to overtake them here cos I
can't see anything that's ahead.
Now I can see it is safe to pass here so I
will indicate. Remember, I have got to give
cyclists
much as I'd give a car that means getting
right across to that other carriageway.
There, job done. I'm safe, they're safe.
And what works for overtaking groups, works
for overtaking us.
