Cyclists get support of police over poor driving
CAMPAIGN TO CHECK OVERTAKING ALWAYS DONE AT A SAFE DISTANCE
CARELESS motorists who put cyclists at risk on Derbyshire’s roads are being targeted by police.
As part of a week-long campaign launched on Monday, officers from Derbyshire Roads Policing Unit have been out and about ensuring drivers overtake cyclists at a safe distance of at least 1.5m.
Some officers have been on their bikes as part of Operation Close Pass.
Inspector Greg Hunt, of Derbyshire Constabulary, said the force was on the lookout for careless drivers across the county, with a particular focus on the Willington and Bakewell areas.
He said: “Previously we’ve run this in urban locations. But we’ve got a number of cycling routes that people want to experience and they are finding some motorists are displaying their frustration at them.”
Inspector Hunt said this can take the form of motorists overtaking cyclists just to brake sharply in front of them.
He added that three cyclists had been killed on Derbyshire’s roads so far this year, including 15-year-old Adam Barry, who was knocked off his bike in Risley.
Insp Hunt said: “The incident in Risley was such a difficult case for everyone – his family and the officers that attended.”
The operation will also see officers giving advice to cyclists on how to ride safely and legally. Insp Hunt said: “It has prompted a healthy discussion. It’s certainly raised it in people’s minds and far more people are discussing it.
“It’s a two-way argument and we are completely independent.”
Detective Sergeant Darren Parkin, leading the operation from the serious collision investigation unit, said: “This operation is to get people thinking about the safety of others, as well as their own safety, when using Derbyshire’s roads.
“The consequences of not doing so can have serious and quite often fatal consequences. The operation is about alerting people to the risk they pose to themselves or others.”
This operation is to get people thinking about the safety of others, as well as their own safety. Darren Parkin