The Bicycle Association and British Cycling have come together and have produced a film to highlight the amount of space that should be given to cyclists when motorists are overtaking.



Motoring.co.uk's columnist and cycling guru, Carlton Reid and Olympian Chris Boardman have produced an awareness video to highlight the dangers of cycling on UK roads and to educate motorists on how to overtake in a responsible manner.



The video highlights rule 163 of the Highway Code, which states that motorists should give cyclists (and pedestrians and equestrians) as much space as they would give a motor vehicle when overtaking. YouTube is littered with footage of awful, close overtakes of cyclists (and other vulnerable road users) and this video aims to tackle this.



Sales and Media Director of Motoring.co.uk, Chris Green, speaking on BBC 5Live said: "Our aim at Motoring.co.uk is to inform and educate. The growth in cycling is huge while the infrastructure needs to improve and we all need more education.



"Motorists own bicycles and cyclists own cars, we need to respect each other. The Government should bring back the public information films to help educate the public. Motorists need to display patience when overtaking cyclists, by respecting each other we can all use the roads in harmony."



Chris Boardman said: "People on bicycles are flesh and blood, they're mums and dads, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters." He stresses that motorists need to "give them plenty of space when overtaking.



"Cyclists do not ride in a perfect straight line, they have to make slight side to side adjustments in order to stay upright. The space a cyclist takes up while moving is known as the "dynamic envelope". You should think of this dynamic envelope as an exclusion zone around the cyclist, a zone you must not enter. The dynamic envelope often needs to be stretched, for instance when cyclists have to deviate from their chosen line to avoid imperfections on the road, imperfections that motorists may not even see."

cyclists safety

cyclists safety

How not to overtake a cyclist

2. Overtaking (162 to 169) 162

Before overtaking you should make sure

  • the road is sufficiently clear ahead
  • road users are not beginning to overtake you
  • there is a suitable gap in front of the road user you plan to overtake.

163

Overtake only when it is safe and legal to do so. You should

  • not get too close to the vehicle you intend to overtake
  • use your mirrors, signal when it is safe to do so, take a quick sideways glance if necessary into the blind spot area and then start to move out
  • not assume that you can simply follow a vehicle ahead which is overtaking; there may only be enough room for one vehicle
  • move quickly past the vehicle you are overtaking, once you have started to overtake. Allow plenty of room. Move back to the left as soon as you can but do not cut in
  • take extra care at night and in poor visibility when it is harder to judge speed and distance
  • give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road
  • only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so
  • stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues. If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left
  • give motorcyclists, cyclists and horse riders at least as much room as you would when overtaking a car (see Rules 211 to 213) and 214 to 215).

Remember: Mirrors - Signal - Manoeuvre