A Nottingham driving instructor said he had to 'take action' after seeing a van passing a cyclist. Chris Allsopp, who has worked as a driving instructor for two years, captured the moment a van passed a cyclist on Rugby Road, West Bridgford.
He said he wanted to raise awareness of the 'poor decisions' that drivers sometimes make when encountering a cyclist. Mr Allsopp said the van captured in the clip passed the cyclist with minimum clearance, and encroached on his side of the road - forcing him to move left and stop to avoid a collision.
He told Nottinghamshire Live: "I happened to be driving when I saw that. I am a driving instructor and I could see this developing from down the road.
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"I know I had to take action. I drive about eight hours a day, and I see many drivers in traffic.
"Even very good drivers can make poor mistakes. And this was a poor mistake."
The updated Highway Code states that drivers should leave at least 1.5 metres (5 feet) when overtaking people cycling at speeds of up to 30mph - and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds. Mr Allsopp added: "It appeared to be less than the recommended 1.5m clearance. I always tell my students to always leave as much space as they would want if they were on a bike."
He shared the video on his Facebook page, Moose Driving Automatic Electric, alongside a caption: "Passing Cyclists - 1.5m gap to the cyclists, so choose where and when to pass. This van chose to pass the cyclists with minimum clearance, and encroached on our side of the road forcing us to move left and stop to avoid a collision.
"If they planned ahead, slowing on approach to the cyclist, they could have timed their pass much more safely. Hopefully the cyclist wasn't too shaken after this nasty incident today."
Ian Taylor, the Director of the Alliance of British Drivers, added: "Just because we are pro-drivers, that does not make us anti-cyclists. We are all on the road together.
"He [the driving instructor] is right to remind drivers of the recommendation because sometimes the cycling fraternity can get too picky about this too. However, in general, I can say that there can be extenuating circumstances if something had suddenly appeared in the way that the driver needs to make more room for it.
"Not allowing the full width may have been the only way out from an even worse situation. I want to say that we are not different tribes - drivers and cyclists."
Neil Greig, Director of Policy and Research of IAM RoadSmart has reminded drivers of the new Highway Code which " makes it clear that all drivers and riders travelling at speeds of up to 30mph should leave at least 1.5m, or 5ft, when passing cyclists - and they should leave more space at higher speeds".
He added: "It's important to give cyclists the room, and time, to pass them safely. If it’s not safe, then don’t overtake. All road users must share the road safely, and be mindful of those more vulnerable to injury, such as cyclists.
"Those driving larger vehicles, and employers using commercial vehicles, need to be even more aware of their responsibility to share the road safely. It's important to take the time to learn the rules and not take decisions on the road that could cause an accident - ignorance of code and the law is no defence.”
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