A COACH driver has been handed a £400 court bill for driving without due care and attention after narrowly avoiding a cyclist while trying to overtake him.

The driver was fined £256 and ordered to pay £110 in costs and a £34 victim surcharge after pleading guilty to the offence on Tuesday, May 17.

He was also handed six penalty points.

The incident took place on December 17, 2021 at around 1:40pm in Barrow Gurney, North Somerset. 

Avon and Somerset Police's Roads Policing Unit tweeted pictures of the coach driver's overtake, which left the cyclist in a hedge after he was left only a few inches of room.

The pictures came from camera footage sent to the police by a witness who was behind the coach and cyclist when the incident took place.

The unit said the incident and court result highlights the importance of camera footage and third-party reporting for addressing road danger. 

Driving without due care and attention - also referred to as careless driving - can include excessive speed, aggressive driving, carrying out other tasks while driving, or driving while tired or unwell.

Officers have encouraged motorists to report road incidents and offences online at www.avonandsomersetpolice.uk/roads.

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