Police in Sheffield set motorists straight after careless driver fined £400 for endangering cyclists

Officers from Sheffield North West Neighbourhood Policing Team posted a video of the incident, in which the driver can be seen crossing the broken white line and passing the approaching cyclists, as police put it, ‘far too closely’ and at ‘excessive speed’ for the conditions, on Twitter.

They revealed how the motorist had ended up in court for careless driving and was fined £417 in total and received five penalty points on their licence.

“If anyone thinks this is an acceptable manner of driving, let this be your warning,” they said.

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While some people praised police for taking action against the driver, the post prompted a bit of a backlash from some ill-informed motorists who questioned whether the driver deserved the penalty.

Critics wrongly argued that the cyclists should have waited to pass a parked car on their side of the road, despite it being the oncoming motorist and not the cyclists who had crossed the line in the middle of the road.

Even the Alliance of British Drivers waded in, with the pressure group branding the court ruling an ‘idiotic decision that undermines the credibility of the courts and the police’.

Officers were quick to respond to comments suggesting the driver had done nothing wrong or that the penalty was excessive.

“If he had simply driven to the conditions at a less dangerous speed and stayed on his own side of the road he wouldn’t have been prosecuted,” they wrote.

Replying to one person, who asked why the fine was so high, they said: “He did have the option of paying £100 fine, and receiving only three points endorsement. He chose not to do so, and decided to argue his case in court. He chose.. poorly.”

And when another person questioned why ‘we never hear about how many cyclists you prosecute’, officers had a very simple answer.

“Exactly how many car drivers were killed by cyclists last year David? There’s your reason. We prosecute those whose behaviour is most dangerous,” they wrote.