A survey conducted on behalf of the AA has found that, worryingly, nine out of ten drivers claim it is sometimes hard to see cyclists while driving, and more than half (55%) of those surveyed are often ‘surprised when a cyclist appears from nowhere’.
The issue of ‘failure to look properly’ is the most commonly cited (42%) contributory factor in UK road accidents according to the AA.
The findings come as the AA launches a national ‘Think Bikes’ awareness campaign which includes a demonstration video, along with distributing a million free stickers which are to be placed on the near-side door mirror as a reminder to drivers to do a ‘double-take’ in their mirrors for cycles and motorcycles in their blind spots.
Being a driver trainer, and of course spending a lot of time on the road, I see numerous examples and consequences of drivers on a daily basis who make a turn, or change road position, without effectively using their mirrors, so I can certainly relate the importance of the campaign.
Having said that, I am not so sure as to the effectiveness of the cyclist warning stickers to be honest. The reason being that, in my experience, the large majority of drivers either don’t use their mirrors, or alternatively don’t use them effectively – essentially looking in the mirrors but failing to ‘see’ and respond to the information accordingly.
That combination being a recipe for danger…
To read the original article and view the video, simply follow the link below:
What are your thoughts on this story? Do you have an opinion on the subject?
If so, I would be interested to hear them. Please feel free to leave me your thoughts in the comments box.
As always, stay safe out there folks!
Chris
http://www.chrischambers-som.com
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