Share the road safely tomorrow ... and every day

The AA is reminding all drivers that there will likely be lots of bikes on the roads tomorrow.

It is Go By Bike Day on Wednesday, February 13, with events all around the country to encourage people to cycle to work and school.

The AA supports cycling as a transport choice and wants to see more done to improve the safety of cycling on our roads.

One of the keys to this is getting drivers and cyclists to treat each other with more consideration and respect, and Go By Bike Day is the perfect opportunity to highlight this.

“There is still an unfortunate ‘them and us’ mentality among some drivers and cyclists. It goes both ways and it is something we need to change,” says AA Motoring Affairs General Manager Mike Noon.

“More people are cycling, so sharing the road safely is becoming increasingly important.

“Last year there were 8 cyclists killed and close to 800 injured in road crashes.”

One of the major causes of crashes between cars and cyclists is a driver not seeing the person on the bike, so drivers need to be more consciously looking out for cyclists around them.

Cyclists can also help by making themselves more visible, wearing brightly coloured or reflective clothing.

“Seatbelts, airbags and the body of a car can all help prevent harm to a driver in the event of a crash but cyclists have no protection other than a helmet.

“Drivers and cyclists need to both do all they can to prevent crashes from happening.”

Tips for drivers
• Check on your left before parking or turning in case a cyclist is riding up on the inside
• Reduce your blindspots by adjusting your side mirrors to only just show the edge of your vehicle
• Look for cyclists before opening your door when parked
Tips for cyclists
• Wear brightly coloured or reflective clothing
• Use hand signals to indicate when you are turning or stopping
• Ride single file as much as possible, especially on narrow roads
To see if there is a Go By Bike Day event in your area go to www.bikewise.co.nz
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