Firstly, something needs to be done to help make the roads safer for motorists and cyclists alike. Here are just 3 things that can be done to help improve safety on the roads. Volvo are creating a detection system in their cars that will alert the driver that a cyclist is in their blind spot. By having this system built into cars this will eliminate the possibility of a driver turning into a cyclist. This system needs to be built into all cars so that there is no risk to cyclists that might go unseen by careless drivers. As of now there are only systems that alert drivers of cars in their blind spots but why are we only worried about other cars on the road? We don’t just share the road with cars, we also share it with cyclists. Another possibility of making cyclists safer on the roads would be to widen bike lanes. Although it is not illegal for cyclists to ride abreast, side by side, it can still be a major inconvenience for motorists to have to get around them to allow enough room for the cyclist. Motorists have to allow at least 1 metre of space for a cyclist in a 60 zone and 1.5 metres in any speed zone higher than 60. When a pair of cyclists are riding abreast it is unsafe for a motorist to allow that much space for the cyclist because they will have to drive on the other side of the road. If bike lanes were widened then it would be possible for cyclists to ride abreast but still be in the bike lane and have adequate room on the road for a motorist to pass safely. Also, more money needs to be funded into advertising cyclist safety. The government needs to put in the work to educate people on how to safely share the road with cyclists. The government needs to focus on keeping all road users safe and by starting advertising campaigns on cyclist safety the number of cyclist deaths and injuries may begin to drop. LINK SENTENCE BACK TO TOPIC SENTENCE
Secondly, it’s up to motorists and cyclists to work together to share the road safely. For motorists they need to make sure that they are aware of their surroundings at all times. If they are going to be trying to overtake a cyclist they need to make sure that they allow adequate room to provide the cyclist safety. Some motorists need to show some consideration for cyclists. Not all motorists will consider a cyclists safety when driving past them. Even when turning left through a bike lane, motorists need to make sure that there are no cyclists coming past. Not all blame can be place on motorists, cyclists also have a responsibility to keep themselves safe on the road. Cyclists need to make sure that they are riding predictably. Some cyclists will swerve in and out of parked cars; a cyclist who rides like this is putting themselves at risk. Not all motorists will be expecting a cyclist to come swerving out into their path. A cyclist may also need to show some courtesy to drivers. If a pair of cyclists are riding abreast and they know that cars are approaching, although it is legal for them to ride like that they could show some courtesy to motorists and ride in single file while the cars pass. By cyclists showing some courtesy motorists might show more respect to cyclists and then motorists and cyclists can share the road safely. LINK SENTENCE
Thirdly, some people may say that cyclists are reasonably safe and that the death toll of motorists is much higher and therefore more should be done to lower that count, however any death is one too many and more can be done to increase cyclist safety. In 2014 the TAC had a total of 22,012 cyclist injuries reported. Although only 1,569 of those injuries required hospitalisation, this is still an overwhelming number of people who were put in harm’s way. Even if the person who was injured didn’t need to go to hospital for their injuries, they could still have gone through a lot of mental
