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Underwhelming Surrey cycle safety campaign has more tips for cyclists than drivers, including wear a helmet

Wear a helmet and get some insurance, Cycle SMART campaign urges

A safety campaign for roads in Surrey has targeted cyclists, telling them to take more care at junctions in the light of new collision statistics.

Between 2008 and 2014, 32% of collisions involving a cyclist happened when a vehicle turned in front of their path, but cyclists are being pushed to position themselves better.

Surrey County Council and Surrey Police released figures showing there were four deaths, 162 serious injuries, and 482 slight injuries of cyclists in the county last year - today host to the 100 mile RideLondon sportive.

Helmets, hi-vis and "showing some love" the key to safe cycling in London, says Britain's biggest insurer

Surrey Police issue safety warning to road cyclists after injury

Angie Lee, from the Cycle-Smart Foundation, said: "Motorists are number one because obviously they've got the bigger and tougher vehicle."

She said the Cycle-Smart Foundation wanted cyclists to have insurance in case of any damage they cause to vehicles or pedestrians.

The Drive Smart Surrey website featured these tips:

To ensure the safety of all Surrey’s road users, it is important that everyone is aware of each other and follows a few simple road safety tips:

Cyclists

  • Ride where others can see you, don't ride in the gutter
  • Allow drivers to pass where it is safe to do so
  • Don’t stop in large groups on the road
  • Be seen, be safe! Use lights, dress bright
  • Take your time to see other road users around you, especially at junctions
  • Make sure you're wearing a correctly fitted helmet.

 

Drivers

  • Give space when overtaking. Expect cyclists to be riding away from the gutter
  • If you're pulling out of a junction, always look out for cyclists
  • Pass a cyclist at a cautious speed
  • Take extra care when turning left, you may not be able to see cyclists that are around you.

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41 comments

Avatar
kie7077 | 9 years ago
1 like

Make sure you're wearing a correctly fitted helmet.

F**koff.

Get drivers and pedestrians to wear helmets and then you can tell me to wear a helmet.

Avatar
brooksby | 9 years ago
0 likes

I don't have to "allow" motorists to pass me when it's safe to do so: that's kind of what they're supposed to do. They should only pass when it's safe to do so, and its up to them to make that decision. I don't believe that I'm responsible for the actions or decisions of someone behind me.

Avatar
ianrobo | 9 years ago
1 like

"Between 2008 and 2014, 32% of collisions involving a cyclist happened when a vehicle turned in front of their path, but cyclists are being pushed to position themselves better."

So out of these collisions how may drivers were prosecuted or did they all simply 'not see' the cyclist ?

Avatar
I Wish I Was Fe... replied to ianrobo | 9 years ago
0 likes
ianrobo wrote:

"Between 2008 and 2014, 32% of collisions involving a cyclist happened when a vehicle turned in front of their path, but cyclists are being pushed to position themselves better."

So out of these collisions how may drivers were prosecuted or did they all simply 'not see' the cyclist ?

And surely not seeing the cyclist is demonstrating an absence of due care and attention?

Avatar
ianrobo replied to I Wish I Was Fell Walking | 9 years ago
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I Wish I Was Fell Walking wrote:
ianrobo wrote:

"Between 2008 and 2014, 32% of collisions involving a cyclist happened when a vehicle turned in front of their path, but cyclists are being pushed to position themselves better."

So out of these collisions how may drivers were prosecuted or did they all simply 'not see' the cyclist ?

And surely not seeing the cyclist is demonstrating an absence of due care and attention?

of course, I don;t understand if the excuse is did not see how so many blind drivers allowed on the road ?

Avatar
crazy-legs | 9 years ago
1 like
Quote:

"the Cycle-Smart Foundation wanted cyclists to have insurance in case of any damage they cause to vehicles or pedestrians"

A much more proactive suggestion would be "join British Cycling / CTC / London Cycling Campaign" as all those organisations give third party liability insurance as standard along with many other benefits such as legal representation, not to mention a bit of extra weight behind any campaigns that they do.

Saying " oh you should have insurance " misses the point completely and that's coming from a supposedly pro cycling group!

Avatar
MadMountainbike | 9 years ago
0 likes

I know I should know better than to respond on one of these articles, but did she seriously say

"the Cycle-Smart Foundation wanted cyclists to have insurance in case of any damage they cause to vehicles or pedestrians"

I realise I ought to state something witty and erudite or even intellectually astute and informed... but all I have is... F*ck me sideways with a barge pole!

Avatar
tourdelound | 9 years ago
0 likes

?????...  39

The Drive Smart Surrey website featured these tips:

To ensure the safety of all Surrey’s road users, it is important that everyone is aware of each other and follows a few simple road safety tips:

Cyclists:

Ride where others can see you, don't ride in the gutter.
I don't ride in the gutter, motorists still don't see me.

Allow drivers to pass where it is safe to do so.
?... If I'm in my car anyone wanting to go past me has to wait 'till it's safe to do so.

Don’t stop in large groups on the road.
Because you NEVER EVER see large groups of motor vehicles stopped on ANY road, EVER.

Be seen, be safe! Use lights, dress bright.
I do, still motorists don't see me. If they're not looking, they won't see you.

Take your time to see other road users around you, especially at junctions.
I do. Motorists don't bother though.

Make sure you're wearing a correctly fitted helmet.
Because EVERY motor vehicle driver does, all the time. It's not the law in a motor vehicle, it's not the law on a push bike, the choice IS yours.

Blame the victim, do not under any circumstances address the root cause of the problem.  102

Avatar
FrankH replied to tourdelound | 9 years ago
0 likes
tourdelound wrote:

...Allow drivers to pass where it is safe to do so.
?... If I'm in my car anyone wanting to go past me has to wait 'till it's safe to do so...

Highway Code, Rule 169: "Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass."

My bicycle qualifies as a slow-moving vehicle, especially when I'm riding it. I don't dive into the hedge every time something comes up behind me but I do try to make overtaking easy*. There's enough antagonism between motorists and cyclists, we don't need to make it worse.

* Unless I'm really going for it on a Strava segment then it's every man for himself.  3

Avatar
caaad10 | 9 years ago
1 like

Why don't car drivers ever get advised to wear a helmet?

Avatar
levermonkey | 9 years ago
0 likes

What constitutes 'a large group'?  7
If say twenty individual cyclists end up waiting at a set of lights how many are allowed to set off and how many have to stay behind so that there is no large group cycling down the road?  35

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