Cyclists and motor bikers are the most endangered road users but we can all be bike smart and help keep those on two wheels safe, according to by Brake, the road safety charity.
North Tyneside MP Mary Glindon, who attended a parliamentary briefing in Road Safety week, said: "a third of all deaths and serious injuries in the North East concerns those on two wheels, who are 34 times more likely to be killed and 63 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than car drivers."
Mrs Glindon added: " being 'bike smart' means educating two-wheel drivers to be more careful at junctions, encouraging car drivers to make space for bikes when overtaking and doing the ‘Dutch reach’, using the opposite hand to open a car door to help avoid car dooring incidents."
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at Brake, said: "Every hour, a cyclist or motorcyclist is killed or seriously injured on a British road – each a tragedy that will devastate innumerable lives. We can all be more Bike Smart in the hope that we can put an end to the tragedy of death and serious injury on our roads. Rural roads, with their high speeds, blind bends and few cycle lanes, pose particular danger to those on two wheels, with the risk of a fatal rural road bike crash now at its highest since 2010. The Government’s announced focus on rural road user safety is welcome and we encourage the consideration of rural road speed and bike-safe infrastructure, such as segregated cycle lanes, in its plans."
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