Driver fined £1,000 for overtaking cyclist on narrow country lane
The driver of a Mitsubishi Warrior truck has been fined £1,000 for overtaking a cyclist on a country lane.
They were also given six penalty points for overtaking and driving towards a red car which was coming from the other way.
The driver was fined £660 and ordered to pay £620 costs and a £66 victim surcharge after being found guilty at Taunton Magistrates Court earlier this month.
Avon and Somerset Police tweeted: ‘This driver was reported for Without Due Care but the registered keeper (RK) failed to respond & was reported for Failing to Supply Driver Details.’
Changes to the Highway Code were introduced last year to promote safety on the roads and include a hierarchy which places pedestrians at the top, followed by cyclists, and then cars.
Drivers are allowed to overtake cyclists but need to give them plenty of space while doing so, under the new code.
They can be fined if they pass too close to cyclists, as was the case with the truck driver.
Rule 139 of the Highway Code states ‘give cyclists at least as much room as you would a car when overtaking’.
Rule 163 states: ‘As a guide, leave at least 1.5 metres when overtaking cyclists at speeds of up to 30mph, and give them more space when overtaking at higher speeds.’
Motorists who don’t obey the laws are found guilty of ‘careless driving’ and are given six penalty points and a £100 fine, under section three of the Road Traffic Act 1988.
Drivers can receive up to nine penalty points, a fine of between 15 and 50% of their weekly income, or even a discretionary disqualification from driving, if taken to court.
A similar incident happened last year when an Audi driver was fined £4,500 for driving too close to a cyclist.
But Wayne Humphreys, 77, insisted that he was ‘at least 4ft away’ from the unidentified biker despite footage showing just how close he got.
He was ordered to pay £1,887 in fines and costs, but claimed the true total was more than double that.
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