Driver hit with £1.3k fine after overtaking cyclist

Stills shared by Avon and Somerset Police’s Road Policing team on Twitter depict a large Mitsubishi truck approaching a cyclist from behind on one of the county’s winding country lanes.

Instead of patiently waiting for a safe opportunity to pass, the truck driver is seen overtaking the cyclist while a red saloon car passes in the opposite direction. The images, likely captured from footage recorded by another cyclist wearing a helmet camera, reveal the truck narrowly avoided a collision with the oncoming car and came dangerously close to the cyclist.

Following the incident, the registered keeper of the vehicle was found guilty at Taunton Magistrates Court earlier this month and has been ordered to pay a fine of £660, along with costs and a victim surcharge.

Avon and Somerset Police’s Roads Policing Unit tweeted the details, writing: “This driver was reported for Without Due Care but the registered keeper (RK) failed to respond & was reported for Failing to Supply Driver Details. RK then entered a Not Guilty Plea but found guilty at Trial 5/7/2023 Taunton Magistrates. £660 Fine, 6 points, £620 Costs, £66 VS.”

SomersetLive has reached out to Avon and Somerset Police to ascertain the specific location of the incident in the county.

The release of these stills comes shortly after it was discovered that a recently opened £1 million cycle route in Somerset requires repair work. Just two weeks after its grand opening, reports surfaced on social media highlighting “fundamental flaws” in the construction of the route, which runs along the A39 between Dunster and West Somerset College in Minehead.

Eager cyclists in the county had eagerly awaited the opening of the route, which had undergone nine months of construction.

Somerset Council has since acknowledged the “snagging issues” near West Somerset College and assured the public that the necessary repairs will be carried out at no additional cost to taxpayers.

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