Undercover police on bikes catch dangerous Leeds drivers

Ten drivers were stopped after they were caught dangerously overtaking police on bicycles.

West Yorkshire Police and Leeds City Council carried out a ‘road closure’ operation on November 13 and motorists were given safety advice when passing cyclists.

They were told to leave at least 1.5m of space between vehicles and the cyclist when overtaking.

Sergeant Andrew Sutcliffe said: “The idea is to teach motorists how to safely overtake cyclists on our roads in the hope that this will make our roads safer.”

He added: “All road users have the right to travel safely on West Yorkshire’s roads, and cyclists are one of the most at-risk groups, so it is important that motorists give them enough space to prevent a collision or worse.”

In 2023, four cyclists were killed on West Yorkshire roads and a further 164 were seriously injured.

Councilor Jonathan Pryor, deputy leader of the council, said: “It is disappointing to see that some drivers still do not leave a safe overtaking distance when overtaking cyclists.

“Inconsiderate behavior puts cyclists’ lives at risk and undermines our shared West Yorkshire goal of creating safer roads for everyone.”

Listen to the highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Soundskeep up to date with the latest events episode of “Look North” or tell us the story you think we have to cover here.