THINK! launches cycle safety campaign in key UK cities

12.00 | 21 October 2013 | | 2 comments

A campaign which has been used to raise awareness of cycle safety in London has today (21 October) been rolled out in five cities across the UK.

The four-week poster campaign targets road users in Leeds, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and Cambridge.

The number of cyclists killed in Great Britain increased from 107 in 2011 to 118 in 2012. The five cities have been chosen because they have the highest rates of accidents involving cyclists outside of London.

The posters, which were first used in London during the summer, warn motorists and cyclists to watch out for each other; for instance, as drivers open vehicle doors, at junctions or on narrow roads.

Robert Goodwill, road safety minister, said: "The UK has some of the safest roads in the world, but a number of cyclists are still killed or seriously injured every year and we are determined to tackle this.

"This campaign aims to make motorists aware of the need to look out for cyclists, ensuring they take extra care when turning at junctions, for example, and encourages cyclists to think about the dangers that they could be unaware of when they are riding."

Click here to read the full DfT news release. Click here for more information about the THINK! cyclists campaign.

 

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    Thanks for the positive comments. Just as an example the next door neighbour is an avid road cyclist, in his 70’s. Does, maybe, 20 mile (or more) trips two or three times a week. Then he was in a serious RTA. A car turning to their right from the front grounded him, seriously. Broken collar bone. Bone sticking out through flesh and some other injuries. Initially in intensive care. In hospital for a quite while plus recovery time. Luckily his fitness did much to bring him through. He was very lucky indeed. Moral, which he didn’t take into consideration, 25% of all crashes occur within 25 yards of brows bends and junctions. The clues are always there. It was his right of way so he wasn’t watching out properly for the threats. A little more awareness and caution might have saved him an awful lot of pain, trauma and trouble. He’s back in the saddle now. Thankfully. Did he learn from his experience? Maybe.


    Nigel Albright, TAUNTON
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    Yes, but in essence all road users should look out for all other road users. I am not unsympathetic to the predicament of cyclists in heavy traffic and there are obviously some situations which are beyond their control. Problem is once you say only one section has to look out for the other, then the tendency is for ‘the other’ to think that their safety is in someone else’s hands. Too many cyclists ride as though they are not part of normal road conditions which makes them more vulnerable. To quote Lord Montague in his book The Art of Driving the Motor Car, ‘It is your job, not the other man’s to avoid danger.’ In other words you trust no one out there until they prove they can be trusted. The book was written in 1906. That philosophy is still as true today as it was then and should be a baseline philosophy for all road safety.


    Nigel Albright, TAUNTON
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