Us
Hi. We’re the people you overtake.
Wide Pass is a small, independent shop run by people who ride bikes. We also drive, walk and sit in traffic muttering at nobody. So we know what a cyclist looks like through a windscreen: small, slow, in the way. And what they look like from the saddle: somebody’s sister, on her way home.
Why print it on a vest?
Because “cyclist” clearly isn’t doing the job. On UK roads the average rider has a “very scary” near miss about once a week, and close passes make up almost a third of them. No wonder 62% of adults in England say the roads are too dangerous for them to cycle on.
It’s easy to squeeze past a cyclist. It’s much harder to squeeze past your sister.
So we print the human part in capital letters. I COULD BE YOUR SISTER. It’s a joke. It’s also true. Every rider is somebody’s someone, and we’d like them all to get home for dinner.
The unfunny bit
4,311
cyclists seriously injured in 2025. The kind of injured that means hospital.
Source: Department for Transport
2 a week
killed, and 78 a week seriously injured, on average from 2020 to 2024.
Source: Department for Transport
1 a week
“very scary” near miss for the average UK rider. Close passes are almost a third of them.
62%
of adults in England say the roads are too dangerous for them to cycle on.
1.5 m
the least space to leave when passing a cyclist at up to 30 mph. More when faster.
Source: Highway Code, rule 163
So why the jokes?
Because shouting doesn’t work and nobody reads a leaflet at 30 mph. A driver who smiles is a driver who’s looking at you, and a driver who’s looking at you gives you room. The funny slogans get noticed. The serious ones get remembered. Both get you a wider pass.
What we’re asking for
Not much, honestly.
Give 1.5 metres
Picture a whole bike laid sideways between you and the rider. At higher speeds, give more.
Wait a few seconds
If there isn’t room to pass, stay behind. You’ll catch us up at the next lights anyway.
Look before you open
Open your door with the hand furthest from it. It turns your head towards the bike you didn’t see (the “Dutch reach”, rule 239).
Remember who weighs more
The Highway Code’s hierarchy says the more harm you can do, the more care you owe. Two tonnes of car owes quite a lot.
From the Highway Code, rules 163 and 239, and the hierarchy of road users (rule H1).
Useful links
- The 2022 Highway Code changes ↗The eight changes every road user should know, from GOV.UK.
- Report a close pass ↗Got it on camera? Many UK police forces take footage through the National Dashcam Safety Portal. Others have their own form.
- Cycling UK ↗The national cycling charity: campaigns, legal advice and insurance.
- RoadPeace ↗Support for people bereaved or seriously injured in road crashes.
- Brake ↗Road safety charity supporting victims and campaigning for safer roads.
P.S. 50p from every order goes to a UK cycling charity.