Cyclist close passes 47/2022
FOI Request: 47/2022
Request:
I’m writing to you to make a request under the freedom of information act relating to incidents reported in your region where cyclists have been close passed by a motor vehicle such as those made as part of Operation Snap or similar.
Please could I receive the information broken down by calendar year from 2016 onwards in order to establish trends?
- I’d like to know how many close passes involving cyclists have been reported and how many of them were accompanied by supporting video evidence.
- I’m also interested in the outcomes of the reports. What are the outcomes and what is their split amongst the reports? g., how many reports result in no further action being taken, how many resulted in the driver being written to, how many resulted in the drivers being asked to attend an awareness course, and in how many instances were drivers prosecuted etc.?
- Also, in how many of the reports did the cyclist receive a warning or prosecution relating to their part in the incident?
- Having submitted many videos to different regions, highlighting what I believed to be obviously dangerous close passes that have resulted in different outcomes, I’d also like to understand how the level of outcome is arrived at and how the consistency of the evidence review is ensured?
For example:
- Is there a minimum level of training required for each person reviewing evidence?
- Is it ever acceptable for a vehicle to pass close within 1.5m of a cyclist? If not, how is the proximity assessed from video evidence? If so, how is the speed of pass or risk presented assessed from video evidence?
- What are the documented guidelines/standards that those reviewing the video evidence follow?
- Finally, with respect to the changes in the Highway Code concerning a hierarchy of vulnerable road users, will this be acknowledged in your regions budget spend and what will I notice as a cyclist?
Response 1:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys police does hold the information you requested. There have been 268 submissions in total, all supported by video evidence.
Response 2:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys police does hold the information you requested, as detailed below:
94 have resulted in a traffic offence being submitted for careless driving
87 issued with warnings
87 have resulted in no further action
Response 3:
I can confirm that there is no information held by Dyfed-Powys police due to the fact that there have been 0 (zero) warnings or prosecutions to cyclists.
Response 4:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys police does hold the information you requested, as detailed below:
Police officers are trained nationally to know the law & elements required to identify if an offence of careless or dangerous driving is relevant. The test is based on charging standards that require the points to prove to be present but ultimately comes down to a magistrate or jury to convict unless the person pleads guilty. This may include dangerous driving and driving without due care and attention under sections 2 & 3 of the Road Traffic Act 1988
At the time of your request, there is no legislation that states it is unsafe to pass a pedal cycle within less than 1.5m. The highway code advises that passing or overtaking a pedal cycle should be treated like any other vehicle on a road. In each circumstance the nature of the road, position and direction of vehicles is relevant to consider. It also needs to take into account the type & size of the vehicles along with the amount of pedal cycles being passed.
Response 5:
I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys police does hold the information you requested, I can confirm that we have been informed by the relevant department, acknowledgement of the changes to the highway code are made.
This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act and disclosed on 7th February 2022.