Leeds drivers warned: Cyclist you're overtaking could be undercover officer

Launch of West Yorkshire Police Safe Pass Cycling Scheme, at Bramhope, Leeds..PC Tom Allen showing the safe distance to car.3rd May 2017 ..Picture by Simon Hulme

Motorists in Leeds have been warned to be on the look-out for cyclists in case one turns out to be an undercover police officer filming their driving.

West Yorkshire Police today launched its Safe Pass scheme, which sees officers patrolling the city’s busiest roads on two wheels on the look-out for drivers passing too close to cyclists or driving dangerously.

There are more accidents involving cyclists in Leeds than anywhere else in West Yorkshire, a trend attributed to the growing number of cyclists on city roads. Seven died across the county last year.

The scheme was officially launched in a car park on Otley Road, the city’s worst bike crash hotspot which has seen 181 cyclist collisions in the last five years.

Launch of West Yorkshire Police Safe Pass Cycling Scheme, at Bramhope, Leeds..PC Tom Allen pictured on the road..3rd May 2017 ..Picture by Simon Hulme

As part of the scheme, plain clothes officers with hidden cameras on their bikes will go out on patrol, identifying motorists who pass too close for comfort, fail to give way at junctions or are distracted from having a proper view whilst driving.

Offenders seen passing too close to the cyclist will be offered an on-the-spot educational talk on safe overtaking using a specially-designed floor mat.

Anyone who declines to take part in the tutorial, or who is deemed to have committed a particularly dangerous overtaking manoeuvre, could be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.