Overtaking Cyclists

Let's take what we know about cyclists (i.e two wheel vehicles are vulnerable road users) and apply it to an overtaking situation, actually, no need, I see the cyclist from the side road is ahead of us once more grrr. Er ok, a good time to curb the competitive driving instinct and practise defensive driving while we overtake. First thing first then, (1) take a look at the road ahead of the cyclist to see if he is likely to make any sudden course changes, around parked cars, uneven surfaces or potholes for instance. It seems an army of April showers have arrived this week so large puddles are also on the agenda. If he swerves out unexpectedly while you are overtaking he could collide with you and scratch your paintwork (I know right?) to this end you should (2) leave as much room, while overtaking, as if you were passing a car. If you were on a country road or open area then side winds would be another factor (but you're not so we'll tackle that issue later) (3) When you do overtake, slow down so your displaced air doesn't displace him.

Imagine you are a kung-fu master and (4) watch the body language of the rider for clues as to his next move, for instance, if he looks over his shoulder then he may be wanting to change lane or move over to turn right, if unsure, hold back and wait to see what he does. Talking of turning off, I think we need to take this left turn just ahead ourselves. Well, after all that talk of overtaking now we need to slow down and let that cyclist get past the junction and cycle into the sunset while we take the left turn (remember this and never try to overtake a bike just before turning left) See what happens to the character 'Green' in The Demon Road: A Theory Test Novel when he decides to do just that...
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