Transport

39% of riders admitted to hospital suffer serious injuries to their arms or legs.

Protect yourself before every ride.

Leave 150 cm between your vehicle and a bike when overtaking

If you want to get out and about on your bike but are not sure where to start, have a look at information from the following organisations. They can help you find the safest local cycling routes, as well as point you to kit and training and link you up with other cyclists.

bikeability.org.uk

www.cyclinguk.org

www.sustrans.org.uk

www.britishcycling.org.uk

Junctions are another dangerous hotspot for cyclists, with collisions often occurring because drivers failed to look properly.18 Between 2011 and 2016, 45% of all cyclist deaths occurred at or near junctions, with more than half of these recorded at T-junctions. Just under a third of all cyclist deaths were recorded on roundabouts, mini-roundabouts and crossroads over the same period.

Take time to look properly before you pull out at junctions.

Turn your head to look, don’t just rely on a sideways glance.

Bikes are smaller and narrower than cars and it can take longer for our eyes and our brain to notice that they are there. Turning your head and looking for longer will help you to spot bikes and will help you to judge their speed and distance, so you can pull out safely and avoid a crash.

Always stop behind the lines at a junction.

Never drive into a bike box if the traffic light is amber or red. Riders need this space to enable them to move safely through junctions. Don’t drive or park in cycle lanes either.

Drive slowly in places where people live

The vast majority (77%) of cyclist casualties are from incidents on roads with 30mph speed limits.15 At this speed, cars travel an average of 23 metres (or 5.75 car lengths) before stopping, and anyone hit by a car travelling at 30mph has a 20% chance of dying.

Driving more slowly will give you more time to spot danger and more time to react. It also means you can stop a lot more quickly. 20mph is the right speed in places where people live, work and play. Slow traffic makes more people want to walk and cycle in their communities.

Slow down on rural roads.

Cyclists are also vulnerable on roads outside towns and cities. In 2016, 59 cyclists died in collisions in rural areas, while 43 died in urban areas.

Many crashes involving bikes on rural roads are because drivers are travelling too fast.

Slowing down will help you to take sharp bends more safely and you will be more likely to spot riders in front of you. Brake

Brake:

• Cycling – The facts, 2018
• Smart drivers are Bike Smart, 2018

#BikeSmart

For Road Safety Week 2018, we are shouting out about the safety of those on two wheels, and encouraging everyone to be Bike Smart.

Cycling’s popularity has really taken off in the last few years and people are making longer trips on average than ever before. As well as being a fun hobby, cycling is an excellent way to stay fit and commute short distances, and it’s much better for the environment than many other forms of transport. However, cyclists are also one of the most vulnerable groups of people on our roads, and despite efforts to improve safety, the number of cyclists killed or injured has remained shockingly high for the last 15 years.