Police target overtaking etiquette in Lerwick

Operation Close Pass

Highlands and Islands road policing officers, working with Shetland officers, took part in a driver awareness scheme this week.

Operation Close Pass took place on Monday, 21st June, on South Lochside in Lerwick.

The operation was run in conjunction with Operation Cedar, aimed at promoting safety for all road users, including motorists and cyclists.

The operation involves drivers who don’t give enough room when passing an unmarked police cyclist being spoken to and given a demonstration on how to overtake safely using a specially-designed mat.

Road policing constable Paul Whitehead said: “We are constantly working to make Scotland’s roads safer for everyone.

“The operation provides us with a good opportunity to speak to road users to highlight our respective responsibilities and raise the awareness, both by interacting with motorists and other members of the public at the roadside and by generating wider discussion on social media.”

“We should all be used to keeping a safe distance. We ran Operation Close Pass to help tackle dangerous overtaking on our roads.”

Constable Whitehead added: “We were very pleased with the large majority of vehicles which were giving the cyclist plenty of room.

“All road users should be able to travel safely and we hope that activity like Operation Close Pass will encourage everyone on the roads to consider how their behaviour could change for the better.”

The motorcycle units’ presence would have coincided with the Simmer Dim Motorcycle Rally, postponed this year due to Covid. A number of bikers still headed north and, even though the festival was cancelled, the police bikes were conducting routine patrols, as scheduled.