Police go undercover as cyclists to catch drivers

Ten drivers were stopped after they were caught dangerously overtaking undercover police officers on bikes.

West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council held a "close pass" operation on 13 November and the motorists were given advice around safety passing cyclists.

They were told to leave a gap of at least 1.5m between their vehicles and a cyclist while overtaking.

Sgt Andrew Sutcliffe said: "The idea is to educate motorists on how to safely pass cyclists on our roads in the hope it will make our roads safer."

He added: "All road users have the right to travel safely on West Yorkshire's roads and cyclists are one of the most at risk groups, so it's important that motorists give them enough space to prevent a collision or worse."

In 2023, four cyclists died on the roads of West Yorkshire with a further 164 seriously injured.

Councillor Jonathan Pryor, the council's deputy leader, said: "It's disappointing to see that some drivers are still not leaving safe passing distances when overtaking cyclists.

"Inconsiderate behaviour puts cyclists' lives at risk and undermines our West Yorkshire shared goal of creating safer roads for everyone."

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