“I live the reality of the danger of cycling in traffic almost every day”: Tadej Pogačar joins international road safety campaign urging drivers to respect cyclists by not texting or drinking – while calling for cyclists to wear helmets

Tadej Pogačar says he lives the “reality of the danger of cycling in traffic almost every day”, as the UCI announced on Thursday that the three-Tour de France winner is set to join the United Nations’ global road safety campaign, which aims to promote road safety by recruiting celebrities and sportspeople to deliver messages “focusing on reducing risk factors” such as drink driving, texting at the wheel, and not wearing a bike helmet.

According to the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Road Safety, Jean Todt, who launched the Make a Safety Statement campaign in 2023, Pogačar’s involvement in the initiative will be a “game changer” to help raise awareness of the need for drivers to respect cyclists, follow the rules, and protect people on bikes from “preventable and predictable” collisions.

The announcement that the world champion is joining the campaign, which will be made official at the UCI’s Mobility and Bike City Forum in Abu Dhabi later this month, comes in the same week that Pogačar’s classics and Tour de France rival Remco Evenepoel suffered multiple fractures after a postal worker swung open the door of their van into his path during a training ride.

> Remco Evenepoel taken to hospital after 'colliding with swinging door of postal truck' while training

The Make a Safety Statement campaign was launched last year by UN road safety special envoy Todt, the former president of motorsports governing body the FIA and of Ferrari’s Formula 1 team, in a bid to tackle what the Frenchman termed the “silent pandemic” of road deaths, the “number one killer” for people under the age of 30 across the world.

Cycling’s undisputed biggest star, after a historic 2024 season that saw him become only the third man to win the ‘Triple Crown’ of the Giro d’Italia, Tour de France, and world championships in the same year, Pogačar will join the 15 high profile figures already taking part in the campaign, who have all contributed their own road safety messages featuring slogans such as “I drive slow” and “I don’t drive under the influence”.

These include former Chelsea and Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba, tennis legend Novak Djokovic, Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh, musician Youssou N’Dour, supermodel Naomi Campbell, and popstar Kylie Minogue.

The campaign, which will be advertised on street furniture and billboards in 80 different countries until the end of 2025, sees the celebrities focus on what the UN says are the “main aspects” which can help reduce risk factors on the road, including “wearing a seatbelt, driving sensibly, wearing a helmet, not texting while driving, not driving under the influence of alcohol, not driving while tired, and respecting pedestrians and cyclists”.

> “All we want is to train or move about safely without the fear of being run over”: Hi-vis wearing French pro cyclist Célia Le Mouel escapes unhurt after being “violently hit” by car driver, leaving bike snapped in two

At the UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum in Abu Dhabi, which will take place on 18 and 19 December, Todt will unveil the ads featuring Pogačar, while speaking on the theme of road safety for cyclists.

“Cyclists are among the most vulnerable on the road,” Todt said in a statement announcing the Slovenian star’s support for the campaign.

“While we promote sustainable mobility and increase our efforts to shift from motorised transport to multi-modal transport – including the use of public transport, walking and cycling – we need to ensure that safety is at the heart of the journey.

“Road incidents involving cyclists are predictable and preventable and we must therefore increase our efforts to protect them. Part of the solution is education, law enforcement, and raising awareness.

“This is why I believe having the UCI world champion Tadej Pogačar join the UN-JCDecaux campaign #MakeASafetyStatement will be a game changer. I am looking forward to starting this collaboration with Tadej Pogačar and the UCI, under the leadership of David Lappartient, for safe and sustainable mobility for all.”

(Zac Williams/SWpix.com)

In his own statement, Pogačar said: “As a professional cyclist the open road is my workplace, and I live the reality of the danger of cycling in traffic almost every day. 

“I am not alone, as millions of people around the world ride their bikes to work, school or just for leisure. The ability for people to ride their bikes safely is something we need to protect.

“I am happy to support this campaign and believe that together we can help to make the roads safer for everyone, cyclists and motorists alike.”

> British cyclist to miss Tour of Britain after being hit by driver who tried to "squeeze huge 4x4 past at high speed" on country lane blind bend before returning to "verbally abuse and threaten" female rider

Meanwhile, the UCI – which has come in for criticism in recent years for its apparent inability to ensure the safety of riders during races – said it is “pleased” to be associated with the campaign, as part of its “commitment to developing cycling worldwide as a sustainable sport and mode of transport”.

“Road safety is one of the UCI’s top priorities,” the world governing body’s president David Lappartient said. “We are working hard to make competitions safer, but it is also important to ensure that the roads used by riders and all those who cycle around the world become more welcoming and safer.

“For this to happen, broad-based action by all stakeholders is essential. That’s why we’re delighted to be contributing to the campaign launched by the United Nations in collaboration with JCDecaux.

“Together with our reigning road race UCI world champion Tadej Pogačar, we will carry messages that will advance road safety. The UCI’s contribution to the #MakeASafetyStatement campaign will be made official during the UCI Mobility and Bike City Forum in Abu Dhabi. This initiative once again positions the event as a key meeting place for those involved in promoting cycling for all.”

> Pro cyclist-led lights campaign, endorsed by Tadej Pogačar, “feeds into victim-blaming culture”, says road safety expert

This isn’t the first time Pogačar has been involved in a road safety campaign, of course.

In February 2023, the UAE Team Emirates rider came in for criticism after endorsing fellow pro Rachel Neylan’s ‘Be Bright Wear a Light’ initiative, which called on cyclists to “understand that increased visibility while riding your bike on the road can actually save your life”, and encouraged them to change their behaviour and “begin using front and back lights for every ride at all times of the day”.

Despite describing the campaign as “well-intentioned”, leading road safety campaigner Dr Robert Davis, the chair of the chair of the Road Danger Reduction Forum, said it nevertheless lacked awareness of “what’s required to not being hit by drivers”, and fed into a “victim-blaming culture” which places the onus for safety onto the most vulnerable road users.

> “The comeback starts now”: Remco Evenepoel says “it’s going to be a long journey” to recovery after undergoing surgery following alleged ‘dooring’ incident on training ride

Meanwhile, the inherent danger of riding on the roads for even pro cyclists was once again highlighted this week, after double Olympic champion Remco Evenepoel, who finished third behind Pogačar at this year’s Tour de France, suffered multiple fractures in an apparent ‘dooring’ collision while training in Belgium.

The Soudal Quick-Step rider sustained fractures to his rib, right shoulder blade, and right hand in the collision, as well as torn ligaments, a dislocated collarbone, and a bruised lung (while his gold S-Works SL8 was snapped in two), when a postal worker allegedly swung the door of her van open, hitting Evenepoel.

The incident, which could scupper the Belgian’s plans for the spring classics, prompted his team boss Patrick Lefevere to bemoan “such accidents [that] unfortunately happen five times a day, [because] people don’t pay attention and open their door”.