Police use undercover cyclist to tackle close passes

West Midlands Police took 'Operation Close Pass' to the streets to educate drivers. Officers got in the saddle, some in uniform while others rode in plain clothes, to look out for drivers failing to pass at a safe distance. A total of 36 dangerous drivers were flagged down, two received penalty tickets and 17 given the roadside education seen in the video above.

The force said it used plain-clothed officers to highlight it does not matter if cyclists wear high visibility clothing or not, impatient drivers will still close pass you. Roadside education involved being explained the need to keep a minimum 1.5m gap when travelling at 30mph or less.

West Midlands Police attribute their five-year-old close pass operation for helping to cut cycling road casualties from 124 in 2017 to the still worryingly high figure of 88 last year...

Sgt Jon Butler, from the Road Harm Prevention team, said: "Our primary aim is to maintain the safety of vulnerable road users, while promoting sustainable travel and shared space road use. Operation Close Pass is a vital approach in helping us to do that.

"We were the first force in the country to proactively target road user behaviour in this way, and we're proud to see others are now following the example. It has enabled us to educate road users on the dangers of overtaking too close, prosecute those who risk lives, and ultimately see fewer vulnerable road users killed or seriously injured on our roads."


https://road.cc/content/news/cycling...log-item-24177