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news
West Midlands Police releases footage of driver prosecuted for close pass
West Midlands Police has released footage of the moment a Jaguar driver passed within 10cm of a cyclist while driving at nearly 50mph in a 30mph zone on Harborne Road in Birmingham.
“Drivers who endanger vulnerable road users need to understand that we run operations to catch them – and if they avoid our officers we can still prosecute them using footage provided by cyclists and other motorists,” commented PC Mark Hodson from West Midlands Police.
The incident occurred at 7.30am on October 5. The driver was a 33-year-old Birmingham doctor on his way to work.
Footage provided by the cyclist was used by the Road Harm Reduction Team to prosecute the man for driving without due care and attention.
He admitted the offence and on Monday was handed fines and costs totalling £265 and given three points on his licence.
Launched 18 months ago, West Midlands Police’s #OpClosePass involves plain clothes officers riding along busy roads on the lookout for motorists who pass too closely. However, the force has also prosecuted more than 400 motorists using video footage provided by the public.
The operation has so far resulted in a 20 per cent drop in the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured in the region.
Commenting on the video and conviction, Hodson said:
“This was a shocking example of a hazardous close pass and in one manoeuvre the driver has committed offences that would fail a driving test: endangering the cyclist, speeding and undertaking other vehicles.
“We assessed he came less than 10cms from the bike’s handlebars. That alone could have caused the cyclist to fall off, and potentially been seriously hurt, but had he clipped the bike it could have had fatal consequences.
“He initially denied being at fault and opted for a court trial instead of accepting a fine or drive improvement course – but his excuses were rubbished by the video evidence and he later changed his plea to guilty.
“We’ve prosecuted hundreds of inconsiderate motorists thanks to video evidence provided by road users and I expect that figure to surpass 1,000 later this year.”
He added: “Cycling groups are telling us that, on the whole, motorists are becoming more considerate and understand we will prosecute them if they endanger our members.
“We’ve seen reports of close-passes halve in the West Midlands since we started the project and the number of cyclists seriously hurt in collisions fall by a fifth – that’s incredible against a backdrop of increasing numbers of people cycling on our roads.”
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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22 comments
West Midlands Police allow compliments to be made via their facebook page. If you think that their actions are positive please let them know. It is only a small thing but if it is seen in national statistics it could make other forces pay attention to the protection of cyclists and end the can't be arsed approach of certain forces regarding driver behavior. Surely it is worth a shot.
The police believe his speed was close to 50mph, in a 30 zone, that makes it a band B speeding offence (nearly band C). The punishment for band B is 5 points plus fine of 1 week's wages - which for a Doctor will be far greater than £265. 3 points and £265 is barely more than he'd have got for a band A (particularly if he contested it in court).
They should have prosecuted for dangerous driving or at least speeding. Though in fairness, this is probably the fault of the CPS.
I thought that extra points were added if they pleaded not guilty and go to court but were later proven to be guilty. Thought the points were usually put up to five?
A doctor? Someone who has taken an oath to help people; frightening and shows how far the car culture has infected society.
I never cease to find it disconcerting when I encounter a callous or aggressive arse and they turn out to be a doctor. We may have to trust these people when at our most vulnerable. I don't want to think they might be knobheads!
(Imagine finding your cancer specialist is Dr Helen Measures)
Youd definitely want to ask for a second opinion there - maybe a cancer specialist with a genuine human conscience might do a better job than HM...
A £265 fine is a pittance for someone driving a £70k car - the car loses that in depreciation every month.
As a doctor, the offender will know better than most how quickly trauma injuries can lead to death so for that they should have had an extra 3 points.
3 points for driving like a dick, 3 points for doing it in a £70k car and 3 points for doing so as a doctor would seem about right. The fine should be relative - £100 for every 10 cm inside the safe 1.5m passing distance - so £1400 in this case.
I guess there wasn't enough evidence for speeding, although where did 50 mph come from ?
Terrible driving, well done WMP and the cyclist for being as good as his word.
Not so good the magistrates and/or legal system.
Ah but the perp is one of their own, pleasantly surprised he was dealt with so harshly. Upstanding member of community, needs car to care for his patients yadda yadda.
Eactly, police and cyclist badly let down by magistrate!
Ignoring the fatuous comments about D-locks and firearms this is good news story, poor driving has been both prosecuted and punished, the number of close passes has fallen while those injured in collisions has fallen. Small steps certainly but steps in the right direction should be commended not derided.
not victim blaming of anything but the cyclist was too close to the curb, a more primary position would have forced the car to slow down.
well you kind of still are really, you may be happy trying to use your body as a blocking device for a ton of metal travelling at 50mph, but alot of us arent, Ill ride prime where I can be sure the traffic behind cant force an overtake, I wont ride prime to induce even closer passes from the impatient ones, that car was coming through at speed regardless of where the cyclist was positioned, and had they been any further across theyd have ridden straight over that manhole cover, which as a rule you want to try to avoid IMO.
Good to see some prosecutions.
I can't see how they can say that they have halved the number of close passes in such a small space of time. Good if they did but surely pretty much everybody would have to be talking about this measure to get the word out and that simply isn't going to be true.
The number of reports of close passes has halved - which isn't tquite the same thing but probably a good correlation.
Within the WMP area, I believe it has been widely publicised in social media and local TV etc, so the word is out there in the WestMidlands area.
Plus the rest of the country is talking about it too - here for instance, admittedly a site for people with a vested interest but also in other more 'mainstream' channels -- even our favourite rag the DM:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/pa/article-4303888/Close-pass-mats-teach-motorists-safely-overtake-cyclists.html
Does anyone think this chap got of very lightly. I'd have suggested 3 points for the pass, and another 3 points for the excessive speed.
I'd also argue an additional point or two for denying the charges, only backing down when faced with evidence.
We all make mistakes, however I believe the current system is ass about face. Personally speaking, sentences should not be reduced for admitting guilt, they should be increased for denying guilt when there is clear evidence of an infraction.
No way should that be just 3 points and £265. I thought taking offences to a court generally increased the penalties if you're found guilty. I would want driving like that to incur a 6 month driving ban.
Bad drivers know that there's not much chance of them getting caught and even if they do get caught, the sentence will likely be just a slap on the wrist.
D-lock through the windscreen, its the only way to be sure...
Take the AR-15s from the U.S. teens and give them to cyclists instead.
Or stick a wire coat hanger into a pool noodle so then scratch their car as they pass.
Not aero enough.
Think I'll go for one of those new-fangled Russian missiles instead.