Don't get Too Close For Comfort - a new guide for drivers

The short guides are part of our ongoing Too Close For Comfort campaign, which has seen police across the UK delivering roadside education to drivers using Cycling UK’s close pass mats and virtual reality film.

They will be available to every UK police force, highlighting the importance of giving at least 1.5m when overtaking cyclists, while also demonstrating cyclist road positioning and addressing sometimes contentious issues, such as whether cyclists can ride two abreast. 

These materials will really complement our work to tackle close overtaking, not only addressing dangerous overtakes, but also helping people understand the key aspects of safe driving around cyclists.

PC Mark Hodson, West Midlands Police

We hope that these guides, which have been developed with input from Bikeability instructors and with support from West Midlands Police, will enable police to reach an even larger audience in promoting safe driving around cyclists.

Every police force will be offered the opportunity to add their own branding to the guides, ensuring that they are able to communicate with authority on this important issue, without every force having to replicate the same work.

Feedback has been positive, with Mark Hodson of West Midlands Police saying: “These materials will really complement our work to tackle close overtaking, not only addressing dangerous overtakes, but also helping people understand the key aspects of safe driving around cyclists, and address common misconceptions about cyclist road positioning.”

As well as supporting police, we hope these guides will be useful to driving instructors, employers, road safety organisations, and anyone who wants to help improve road safety. They’re freely available to download – so why not consider sharing with your friends, family or colleagues?

If you want to provide an extra level of education to drivers, we’ve also recently produced a guide on using your smartphone to deliver our 3D Too Close For Comfort film to the general public in virtual reality.