00:00Well, the Highway Code recommends that drivers should give cyclists at least 1.5 metres of space when overtaking at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.
00:09So that's about the size of a compact car.
00:14Record numbers of cyclists are submitting footage.
00:17They've actually doubled in the past three years, from 7,000 to nearly more than 15,000.
00:23So this really is an issue.
00:26And what's more, extra research showed that one third of people don't feel safe cycling on the roads in the UK.
00:34Research has shown that the dangers to cyclists on UK roads are putting many off pedalling,
00:40with one third of people saying they don't ride a bike because they think it's too dangerous,
00:44while another 15% think drivers are too aggressive.
00:49Changes to the Highway Code were made in 2022 to better protect vulnerable road users like cyclists,
00:56pedestrians and horse riders.
00:59If you're overtaking a cyclist and you're going fast, you're going to create a gust of wind.
01:06So that's going to make a cyclist quite unstable, really.
01:09And that's why the recommendation for 1.5 metres is in place.
01:14So any side winds might blow a cyclist into your oncoming path, or if they see a pothole on the road or some debris,
01:23they're going to need to move out.
01:25So that's why that recommendation is in place.
01:27According to the Department for Transport, 87 pedal cyclists were killed in the UK,
01:33while 3,942 were reported to be seriously injured in 2023.
01:39Between 2019 and 2023, most pedal cycle fatalities occurred in two vehicle collisions involving a car.
01:46So our advice at IAM RoadSmart is to hang back.
01:51Give yourself two or three car lengths behind a cyclist.
01:55Allow yourself time to see further up the road.
01:58Look out for any oncoming traffic.
02:00If there's double white lines in the middle of the road, it's not safe to overtake.
02:06You'll often see these on a blind bend.
02:08So obviously you can't see if something's going to be coming the other way.
02:12You can also look at the cyclist, see if they're giving any indication that they're about to indicate into a side road.
02:19Look for body language.
02:20But the most important thing is just remember that they're just another person like you trying to get from A to B safely.
