Look Out!
Considerate driving around people who choose to travel by bike is a simple human kindness.
They are someone’s child, a sibling, a spouse, a friend, so please continue to look out for each other when passing anyone travelling by bike.
When more people choose to travel by bike it means less traffic and congestion on our roads (as they've taken one more car off the road!) and it contributes to reducing air pollution, too.
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Too often, cyclists feel they have been overtaken too closely or experience what is commonly known as a ‘close pass’, which can have an immediate impact on their sense of vulnerability and, in more serious cases, can even stop people choosing to cycle altogether.
Overtaking too closely isn’t necessarily due to hostile drivers, but rather a lack of appreciation that people on bikes feel vulnerable and may be avoiding potholes or debris on the road, so it helps them to give them extra space when overtaking.
The Facts
- 87% of people in Kent support making cycling and active travel an attractive, realistic travel choice 1
- 62% agree or strongly agree that they feel it is too dangerous to cycle on the roads 2
- Almost nine in ten (87%) cyclists in the UK are ‘close passed’ at least once a week 3
- The three most common perceived hazards encountered by people on bikes are close passing (79%), unsafe road surfaces (68%) and vehicle speed (34%) 4
- Cyclists felt they could do little to prevent most close pass incidents, but most incidents were judged preventable (if drivers gave more space when passing) 5
2. Department for Transport British Social Attitudes Survey 2017: Public Attitudes Towards Transport
3, 4. The State of Cycling report, British Cycling 2019
5. The Near Miss Project, Dr. Rachel Aldred
Remember that people who travel by bike are just like you and the people in your family, and they may feel vulnerable cycling on the road. Considerate driving means continuing to do our best to ensure that anyone travelling by bike doesn’t feel intimidated or pressurised; all road users have the same rights to use the roads, so please keep looking out for each other by driving safely, and by giving enough room (at least a car's width) when overtaking anyone who is travelling by bike. Your continued efforts will mean more people can choose to travel by bike and will feel more comfortable cycling, helping to make our roads less congested and our air cleaner for all.
Are you a considerate driver?
Remember that cyclists are vulnerable. Considerate driving is doing our best to ensure that cyclists feel safe on the road. Always look carefully at junctions & before opening doors, and always leave 1.5m room when overtaking cyclists (Psst, that's about the width of a car!)
1. Look Out
2. Leave Room
Col. Dame
Kelly Holmes
"KCC's Close Pass Campaign is a much needed initiative to raise awareness of just how dangerous close passing is. It can be rather daunting whilst cycling on the road, and by providing drivers with the information they need, we are sure to see safer conditions for cyclists, making it a more accessible way to travel."
Support the Campaign
Individuals
Look out for each other by driving safely and giving people who cycle at least 1.5m when passing (the width of a car). Help us raise awareness by supporting and sharing our video and messages on social media. Explore the toolkit for more shareable items
Organisations
Help us spread awareness by downloading and sharing the items in the toolkit; you’ll find a press release, posters, gifs and more!
Download the Toolkit
We've put together a fun pack of assets you can download to help spread awareness.
Simply click the link below and extract the files. We’ve included posters, gifs, an email signature and social media graphics, and for organisations, there’s a customisable press release too.
Download Toolkit here
