Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

I think a senior traffic sergeant explaining the finer points of overtaking a bicycle safely, and the need for bicyclists to claim lanes would go just as far as a once off. Bit of tricky slow speed graphics with the speaker wandering the safety region during the discussion would probably do enough to get notice and not cost a bomb, because its just one actor, 2 vehicles and a little compositing.

Bicycle safety isn't like smoking and drink driving - there is plenty of low hanging fruit we can communicate, and the community isn't numb to the message as yet - as will happen with messages that are publicised year in year out on high rotation.

Nate wrote:the motorist just gets a ride in the cop car? umm wow...
I would've liked them to be shown in jail - with Bubba caressing him or something similar

They just didnt show an emotional downside to the event.

Meh. I fear the odds of someone in that position getting charged with dangerous driving, and being convicted, and getting actual time in gaol for it, are nowhere near as good as we'd like them to be.

Most of us are motorists as well as cyclists, so I"m going to approach this from a different angle.

If we had to get just one message across to the rest of the motoring public , then it needs to be about leaving more distance between car and cyclist after overtaking. People underestimate cycling speeds. Usually they give a wide enough berth while passing, but cut back in way too soon.

Being a metre out while passing helps, but if you can't see the cyclist in your rear vision mirror before resuming your road position, you're too close. That's the message I'd like to see out there.

Downhill wrote:Most of us are motorists as well as cyclists, so I"m going to approach this from a different angle.

If we had to get just one message across to the rest of the motoring public , then it needs to be about leaving more distance between car and cyclist after overtaking. People underestimate cycling speeds. Usually they give a wide enough berth while passing, but cut back in way too soon.

Being a metre out while passing helps, but if you can't see the cyclist in your rear vision mirror before resuming your road position, you're too close. That's the message I'd like to see out there.

I respectfully disagree. That does nothing to challenge the all-too-common sense of entitlement among motorists, nor the view that cyclists shouldn't be on the road. What's more, dangerous overtaking is just one of a number of dangerous behaviours.