Deputy Commissioner urges road users to be #BikeSmart in National Road Safety Week

It’s National Road Safety Week and the Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex is supporting road safety charity Brake in focussing attention this year on cyclists and motorcyclists.   Cyclists and motorcyclists accounted for more than a fifth of all deaths and serious injuries on roads in Essex last year.  

Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Jane Gardner said,   “This is a significant number of people when cyclists and motorcyclists account for nowhere near a fifth of all road users. This is a warning to everyone - both those on two wheels and those on four or more – to be more aware of each other, more aware of what the other can see, what space the other needs and not to take any risks. More people in Essex die on our roads than in any other kind of accident or crime and it’s one of our key priorities to bring this figure down with robust law enforcement, good partnership working with our local communities and by using every opportunity to reinforce road safety messages.”

  Road Safety campaigners are calling for drivers to be #BikeSmart and to slow down for bikes, giving them more time to spot danger and react; to look properly for bikes before pulling out at junctions leaving at least 1.5 metres clearance when overtaking; and to do the ‘Dutch reach’, turning to use the opposite hand to open a car door so they can see if a bike is approaching.   Brake says road crashes should not be called ‘accidents’ and that calling them accidents undermines road safety work and can be insulting to bereaved families. The charity defines them as ‘devastating and preventable events’.