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news
Cycle Smarter video (via YouTube)Avon and Somerset Police direct close-passing driver to online course blaming cyclists
Avon and Somerset Police encouraged a close-passing motorist to complete an online course in which cyclists are repeatedly advised to move to the left to allow traffic to pass. Questioned on whether this was appropriate, an officer replied that, “we don’t seem to get many repeat vehicles coming back so it must be doing something.”
Back in June, Rob reported a close pass. He was told by police that the company’s fleet manager had been told the pass had been too close and the driver had been advised to take a look at the online Cycle Smarter course to get a cyclist's perspective.
Writing to Rob, the force explained: “This is the first time the vehicle has come to our attention and it is not a local vehicle so have gone for a warning letter in the first instance. They have been made aware that the standard of driving is not up to standard and should this vehicle come to our attention again then the next step could be a prosecution.”
(Somewhat bizarrely, this kind of makes it sound like the vehicle is the one being held responsible with the possibility of prosecution floated should it transgress again regardless of who was driving.)
Rob was also sent a link to the Cycle Smarter course. He says he believes it was originally set up to help people cycle, “but it fails even at that.”
The various videos cover: essential kit, health and wealth, maintenance, visibility, road skills, security, the law and top tips.
As a tool for educating close passing drivers, the course features several questionable elements, as documented in this Twitter thread by Adam.
The visibility video advises cyclists to “be as visible as possible to cut risk of being hit by someone who isn’t focusing fully on their driving.”
The road skills video tells cyclists not to ride in the middle of the road, “or you’ll just be blocking traffic,” and there’s also a suggestion that having a mirror on your helmet, “might just save your life.”
A second road skills video addresses traffic lights and instructs cyclists: “Once the traffic has set off, move back to the left to allow it to pass.”
Rob wrote to Avon and Somerset Police questioning whether the course was appropriate for close-passing drivers, and was told: “This is the first step and we don’t seem to get many repeat vehicles coming back so it must be doing something.”
The officer added: “This unit is not all about prosecution as I do not think that is the right way to go because it will change nothing. Most people do not read the Highway Code from the day they pass their test so even if this refreshes any road craft it will always be a help. From feedback from drivers who have had a warning letter most do not even realise they have passed that close to a cyclist etc, so this is about education and learning.”
They also said that the dash camera page was new to Avon and Somerset Constabulary and that processes were still evolving.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
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21 comments
My local force have acted on all the close pass reports I've made (I only report the really close ones), but in each case the offender gets offered a "What's Driving Us?" course which "looks at the causes of driver behaviour, and how we can show better consideration for other road users". That's fine in principle, and I'm all for an educational approach for first offences but, having asked them, the course doesn't specifically address close passes. So an unintentional offender who just had no concept of how to pass vulnerable road users safely probably isn't going to come away any better able to avoid the offence that put them there in the first place.
If hi-viz is so effective, why are there no calls for cars to be fitted with hi-viz to avoid some of the road traffic collisions?
Exactly. During the winter, during that time when my commute isn't properly dark but is almost inevitably raining, I see so many cars driving around almost the same colour as the clouds or the tarmac, with no lights... Can be practically invisible. And yet there are never any calls for motor cars to only be available in hi-viz colours.
I think new cars are now required to have permanently on daytime running lights. I think that requirement is for the reasons you mention.
Yep. Introduced "in order to increase road safety by improving the conspicuity of motor vehicles". Although ironically, since the advent of DRLs, I see more cars driving at night apparently unaware that they have no rear lights on.
Yip the compulsory DRLs and in conjunction with automatic lights have given lazy drivers one thing less to think about, the DRLs only do the front in most cases and automatic lights only come on when it gets dark, but not in low light conditions like very dark clouds, rain or fog
I will admit to having been caught a little unaware for a wee while when my wifes car has been in a garage and they move the lights from auto to manual
I was stopped by a police car because I wasn't visible enough.
"you saw me tho"
Same here! It was broad daylight, the weather was fine and sunny, and I was wearing a yellow, though not hi-vis, jersey. I was offered a hi-vis strap, but refused. It was some years ago, so I don't remember the exact wording, but the officer said something along the lines of, "well it'll be your fault when we're scraping you off the road."
I was a bit too green to complain at the time, but if it happened again, I wouldn't hestitate to.
Imagine if they went around handing out frumpy clothes to women and using a similar line about being raped.
At the end of April I was knocked off my bike. I had lights and a very high vis jacket.
This morning I came within 2 inches (no exaggeration) of being knocked off my bike again. And, you guessed it, I had lights and was wearing a high vis jacket. The woman didn't even see me after I'd skimmed the front of her car and didn't know where I'd come from or why I was pissed off and yelling at her even when she stopped by the side of me.
The bloke in the van behind saw it all and stopped to ask if I was OK , which is nice to see at least.
Sounds like the worst sort of victim-blaming (or at the least it’ll give offending drivers that they were in the right all along, and the close pass was the cyclists own fault for not being further over/not wearing hi-viz. pointless, counterproductive, but cheap - and it doesn’t take a minute of actual Police time!
Wonderfully contradictory. Don't cycle in the middle of the road - you are holding up traffic. Cycle in the middle of the road to stop overtaking.
If only those 4 or 5 riders in Somerset had seen Michael Tarrant in their mirror, all would have been well.
FFS, Avon and Somerset Police. Double Yellow Lines do NOT make a cycle lane! And no amount of misrepresentation or downright lying is going to change that. You're no better than the daily a***hole in a BMW, driving according to "his version" of the Highway Code.
Here's a wee challenge for you - let's have chapter-and-verse reference to the Highway Code to back up your "guidance".
Hint - there ain't none. Don't waste your time.
Go to people with expertise ... TFL, the IAM, DfT (oh lordy ... and they ain't cycling organisations!); or better, go to organisations with REAL expertise.
Not sure who you mean but it sounds like they didn't even ask the local bikeability instructors. If such plebs are beneath them, their colleagues in the West Midlands and Surrey road units spring to mind as people they might usefully get advice from. However, weren't A&S at the rollout of the Close Pass initiative? If so, why are they ignoring it? As you say? ffs.
https://www.cyclinguk.org/current-campaigns
To many police forces with this attitude, it's a fucking disgrace and costing lives!
Also, on their reading list: ‘How To Be Less Racist’ by David Duke.
As one of the tweeters points out, Cycle Smarter is the new name of the infamous Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust, which blamed cyclists for everything and lied so consistently about cycle helmets they had to change their name. They really hate cyclists and want them off the roads, while pretending to be concerned about their safety, and if there is one thing they most definitely aren't expert in, it's the safety of cyclists.
I'm astonished and extremely concerned that my local police force is in partnership with these charlatans, and I'll be making my views known to them most forcefully. Just sent A&S a message deploring their involvement with CS and requesting that they cease immediately, pointing out that if CS represented themselves as experts in cycling safety, they were lying.
Just looked at the first video, and it repeats the utter, total crap that it's the vehicle that doesn't see you, not the driver. Farcical. It then goes on to repeat the myth about hi-viz; this really is the lowest of the low.
I think Bicycle Helmet Initiative Trust might be "Cycle-Smart"
http://www.cycle-smart.org/en/page/1/home
rather than "Cycle Smarter", which seems to be associated with Somerset and Avon police...
http://www.cyclesmarter.co.uk/
You're right, my apologies. So who exactly are these upstarts and why do they think they are qualified to advise cyclists when they clearly aren't?
Edit: that didn't take long
"About CycleSmarter
Brought to you by Avon and Somerset Police in partnership with several other organisations, CycleSmarter was created to make our roads safer. Whether you’re a driver or a cyclist you have a big part to play in this, as everyone has a shared responsibility to keep each other safe on the roads. After all, why make road use a chore when everyone can enjoy it equally?"
2nd edit "We hope you enjoy the CycleSmarter course, which is an educational resource for riders and drivers alike. If you have any questions or would like more information about this project, please email Dave.Adams [at] avonandsomerset.police.uk"
It's dated 2016, so why hasn't this surfaced before? Perhaps they were hiding it.
He's on holiday.
"Thanks you for your email, but please note, I'm away from the office until the afternoon of the 21st August 2018. Any emails sent between now & then will be dealt with on my return."