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Van drivers 'pose threat to cyclists'

There may be bad news on the way for van drivers looking for a cheap deal on their van insurance, with recent research suggesting that they are the most dangerous when it comes to overtaking cyclists on Britain's roads.

In order to test how courteously UK drivers behave towards cyclists, academic Dr Ian Walker decided to fit a camera and ultrasonic distance detector to his bike and then ride it around Bristol and Salisbury, measuring the distances at which vehicles overtook him.

The University of Bath researcher found that white van drivers, of which there were 200, overtook him at an average distance of 1.26 metres – a full 10 centimetres less than the average driver.

Dr Walker commented that this was posing an unnecessary threat to cyclists, increasing the chances of an accident.

The findings may come as little surprise to many of Britain's cyclists who have experienced the lack of patience and disregard common among many road users.

However, it will dismay many commercial vehicle drivers who have worked hard to dispel the myth of the 'white van man'.