It’s lighter, its getting warmer (sort of) and the changing of the seasons often leads to a change in mobility choices.
When the daily commute is in cold, windy, wet and dark conditions the obvious option is to jump in the car. As the weather brightens, getting on your bike or walking suddenly become viable options.
The upshot is that if you are driving, you need to take this into account. According to RoSPA, every year in this country around 19,000 cyclists are injured in reported road accidents, including around 3,000 who are killed or seriously injured.
With more cyclists donning helmet cameras in recent years, video clips regularly show that drivers become agitated by them with incidents of road rage all over You Tube.
I can see that getting stuck behind a bike is a frustration, but drivers must remember that cyclists are vulnerable road users and need to be treated as such.
To provide a level of balance, what I would also say is that the cyclists themselves must take responsibility for the way they behave. In particular, not weaving amongst vehicles and not jumping red lights.
The equipment that they use is also really important as lights and reflective clothing can reduce risk and make it easier for drivers to spot them.
One of my biggest bugbears is the amount of cyclists who don’t wear helmets. That won’t stop an accident but it could save a life.
A study by the British Medical Association a few years ago concluded that in an accident, helmets reduce the risk of head injury by 85%, brain injury by 88% and severe brain injury by 75%.
Yet a really high proportion of cyclists don’t wear a helmet. When you are vulnerable, I don’t understand why you wouldn’t do everything in your power to limit your risk. In fact, in New Zealand, wearing a helmet is law.
So all road users have an important role to play, and must also acknowledge that with the seasons, the nature of the hazards that they face is likely to change. Throughout the year, some risks become more common while others reduce in prevalence.
The result is that drivers need to show a level of flexibility, always remaining vigilant but also adapting to the conditions within which they are driving.
