Drivers who don't leave enough room when overtaking cyclists are being offered road safety advice instead of prosecution as part of the West Yorkshire Police ‘Close Pass’ operations taking place in West Yorkshire throughout the summer.
The operations involve an undercover police cyclist riding around a location and flagging any drivers who pass too closely. The driver is then offered a roadside educational input delivered by road safety teams from local councils where they are shown a special mat which highlights the safe passing distance when overtaking.
National guidance states that the minimum distance drivers should leave when passing a cyclist is 1.5m.
In recent operations in Ilkley and Shipley, seven drivers were stopped after failing to overtake safely.
Driver of this Dillons Fitness Training SUV sees the car in front pass the cyclist safely leaving at least 1.5m of space but decides the cyclist's safety isn't worth the effort.
— Safer Roads Yorkshire (@SaferRoadsYorks) August 8, 2025
Hope the police safer driving course made them think. #Ilkley #CowAndCalf #Menston pic.twitter.com/94pUaDh4Lc
Sergeant Jamie Wilkinson, who is leading the operations in Bradford, said:
“I’ve worked in Roads Policing and I’ve dealt with death involving cyclists, and having to deliver that news and deal with the aftermath of a collision is one of the worst things you can do.
“We know that enforcing law isn’t always our best way of progressing, so education and engagement is a really key factor. If we can do one little thing like this just to change perceptions and behaviours then we’re achieving something.
“If it isn’t safe to overtake, just be patient and wait. There will come an opportunity and it’s going to slow you down by seconds or minutes at the most. It’s just not worth putting somebody at risk.”
Similar operations are being held in all our policing districts with the aim of changing behaviour and attitudes through education. They are arranged with local councils in support of Vision Zero, which is our county-wide aim to reduce all road deaths and serious injuries to zero by 2040.
The latest road safety figures show that in 2023, four cyclists died on West Yorkshire’s roads with a further 164 seriously injured.
Police say they will also continue to review thousands of close pass incidents sent to Operation Snap, an online portal allowing members of the public to submit footage of dangerous road user behaviour.
Between April 2024 and April 2025, they reviewed 3,561 cyclist close pass incidents. Of those, just over 70 per cent were actioned for process (course, fixed penalty or court).
Alison Lowe OBE, Chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Board and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said:
“We don’t want anyone to suffer tragedy on our roads and that’s why West Yorkshire is firmly behind Vision Zero.
“Everyone has a responsibility for safety and giving other road users enough space is a simple way to protect them.
“These operations will continue to be run in the county so dangerous drivers be warned.”
Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council’s Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport said:
“In Bradford district we have a strong history of partnership working. By working with colleagues in West Yorkshire Police on the Close Pass initiative we want to make sure drivers take this seriously.
“Drivers need to pass cyclists safely to help reduce the number of people who are killed and seriously injured on roads every year.
“Close Pass is part of our commitment to Vision Zero. We want to work together with our partners to ensure safe roads, behaviours, speeds, vehicles.”
Drivers are urged to ensure that they are up to date with the Highway Code, which was updated in 2022 to reflect changes to the hierarchy of road users. It puts those most at risk in collisions at the top, with pedestrians given the greatest priority, followed by cyclists and horse riders. This change requires drivers to be increasingly vigilant and give way more frequently.
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