All cyclists know that cycling has many advantages. One big one is the ability to get from A to B without getting stuck in traffic. As our cities roads become more and more gridlocked and congested, particularly during rush hour, cyclists are able to beat the queues by passing slow moving and stationary traffic.
Whereas motorcyclists often opt to overtake the queue on the outside, where there is more room, cyclists often opt to pass on the inside, where their smaller size allows them to nimbly and safely pass cars on the left. Either way, this is a perfectly acceptable manoeuvre when done safely, at an appropriate speed and in the right circumstances.
Unfortunately, many drivers do not ‘think bike’ (neither motor nor pedal) and fail to check their mirrors or down the inside of traffic for cyclists before turning. As a result, we do see a lot of claims that involve filtering cyclists and turning vehicles.
Common filtering cases include:
- Passing traffic on the inside, and the car driver turns left across the cyclist’s path
- Passing traffic on the outside, and the car driver pulls out of the queue to turn right/perform a U-turn across the cyclist’s path
- Passing traffic on the outside and the car driver pulls out of the queue to turn right/perform a U-turn.
- Passing traffic on the inside/outside, and a car travelling in the opposite direction turns right across the cyclist’s path
- Passing traffic and a car door is opened into the path of the cyclist
Although cars are the most common, these circumstances can apply to all vehicle types including buses, lorries, vans and farm vehicles.