‘Give Space, be Safe’ (campaign)

The ‘Give Space, be Safe’ initiative is designed to actively target motorists who ignore Highway Code rules on overtaking cyclists.

First introduced by West Midlands Police in September 2016, the operation sees police officers saddle up to look out for motorists who do not leave the required space when passing cyclists.

The Highway Code states that drivers should allow vulnerable road users as much room as they would a car when overtaking.

The police officers on bicycles pass on details of offending drivers to in-car colleagues who intercept at a designated holding point, where the driver is offered educational input on safe overtaking.

Repeat offenders, or anyone deemed to have driven dangerously close to a cyclist, is prosecuted and taken to court.

In January 2017, West Midlands Police reported that there had been a 50% drop in poor overtaking of cyclists by drivers since the launch of the operation.

In February 2017, it was reported that a number of police forces across England and Scotland have either implemented the scheme or are considering doing so, including those in West Yorkshire, Devon & Cornwall, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Avon and Somerset, East of Scotland, Surrey and the Met Police.