Courtesy on the road should be part and parcel of driving. But mutual respect between drivers shouldn’t just be limited to car drivers; it needs to be widened to include all road users whether on four wheels or two.
There seems to be more and more accidents occurring between cars and cyclists suggesting there is a lack of awareness on how to use the road in a responsible way so that all road users can feel safe. According to the Department for Transport statistics, cyclist casualties increased by 10% in the first quarter of 2012, with the number of cyclists killed or seriously injured rising by 13%.
Driving instructors from one of the UK’s leading driving schools were questioned about this issue and 75% felt it important to have a cycle awareness element included in the driving test. The underlying hope is that if we can educate drivers at an early stage to recognise cyclists as legitimate road users, it will make them more aware on the roads and help to minimise accidents. The Department for Transport is also keen to increase awareness between drivers and cyclists stating that staying safe should be the key priority for all road users. The Department have launched a new THINK!campaign, ‘THINK CYCLIST’, which asks drivers and cyclists to stay safe by looking out for each other.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said:
“We take the issue of cycle safety extremely seriously so we are launching ‘THINK CYCLIST’, a campaign aimed at both cyclists and drivers. With interest in cycling heightened by Bradley Wiggins winning the Tour de France and our cyclists’ extraordinary success at the Olympics and Paralympics too, we want to remind cyclists and drivers of the importance of looking out for each other to avoid accidents. Many people cycle and drive and a new THINK! poll shows both road user groups agree that looking twice at junctions, as well as giving each other space on the road, are practical things that we can all do to help reduce the numbers of cyclists killed and seriously injured on our roads each year”.
