Due to new forensic guidelines we are unable to measure the distance & therefore cannot say if too close
which I think is such a cop out,no pun intented. the forensic guidelines dont have to measure the distance for close passes, because the specific distance is irrelevant to the charge of careless driving, which is what a close pass is ultimately prosecuted under. the standard simply has to be that the driving was below the standard of a careful & competent drive. therefore you dont have to measure the speed, or measure the distance, just subjectively say that driving was below the standard of a careful (emphasis on the careful) and competent driver.
simply driving without reasonable consideration for other road users, ie as a cyclist you simply felt threatened by the drivers overtaking style alone, actually should be enough to secure a conviction of careless driving.
so by sticking hurdles like that in the way theyre simply trying to kick the close pass can into the long grass, probably because the amount of reports have massively increased, theyre worried about the increase of court time, or some no win no fee lawyer getting some mass turnover of existing convictions, and youll probably find alot in the force dont think its real policing work anyway, so dont feel its worth the effort.
