8 THINGS YOU CAN DO NOW PUSH FOR IMPROVED DRIVER EDUCATION REPORT HOSTILE DRIVERS
1 STOP DISTRACTED DRIVING
South Africa has banned motorists using cellphones while driving, because it’s a major cause of road crashes – but it hasn’t stopped motorists. Technology that prevents drivers from texting while driving will probably be more effective.
That technology exists (the app Cellcontrol, for example, can be programmed to disable functions such as texting while the car is in motion). Car and cellphone companies are looking to create a kind of ‘Driver Mode’ that’s akin to your ‘Airplane’ or ‘Do Not Disturb’ settings. 2 Being aware of cyclists is not a big part of learner- drivers’ education. ‘Dooring’, for example, is hardly mentioned, despite being a significant cause of cyclist crashes.
Instead, driving examiners should be testing learnerdrivers on the problem, and instructors should be recommending a specific solution – like the Dutch Reach, a simple behaviour in which drivers open their door with their left hand when parallel parked, which twists them in the seat so they can better see overtaking traffic – such as cyclists. It’s worth lobbying for this to be included in the driving test.
3 FIGHT FOR LAWS THAT PROTECT CYCLISTS
Many drivers involved in cyclist deaths go unpunished. It’s important to increase awareness; so, sign petitions, join protest rides, and show solidarity when bike advocacy groups campaign for harsher laws for offenders.
4 CHANGE THE MESSAGE
We need to change the message of bike advocacy, from ‘cars are the enemy’ to ‘ bikes are the answer’. Bikes should be positioned as a solution to problems such as traffic, parking, and pollution.
Attend city council meetings where transportation is discussed, to call for better infrastructure and bike lanes, and speak to your employer about incorporating facilities, such as showers, that will make it possible for staff to commute to work.
5 RIDE RESPONSIBLY
One reason cyclists don’t get more respect is that we don’t consistently uphold our own responsibilities as road users. You’ve seen the culprits: riders who pedal against the traffic, roll through red lights and stop signs when other traffic is present, or sprawl across the road in packs, oblivious to cars stuck behind them. Become a cycling ambassador.
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Add Arrive Alive’s ‘Report bad driving’ number – 0861 400 800 – to your cellphone contacts. If you’re harassed, report it, giving the best description you can of the vehicle, licence plate, occupants, incident, and the direction the harasser is headed. (If you’re in danger, call the police.)
Use a camera if you can. The chances the police will find – let alone punish – your harasser may be low, but keep following it up.
7 BE VISIBLE
Drivers are responsible for paying attention, but do your part to be seen too. A study found that riders with daytime running lights were 19% less likely to be hit by drivers than riders without. Fluorescent and reflective materials also dramatically improve drivers’ ability to see us from further away (which gives them more time to react).
But you needn’t be swathed head to toe in screaming yellow. Research from Clemson University’s Vision Perception and Performance Lab suggests that adding fluorescent colours at the feet/ankles, knees, and wrists helps drivers recognise us as human, as opposed to a stationary object.
8 ABOVE ALL, KEEP RIDING
There’s safety in numbers – and evidence to back up that statement. In 2003, a study found that when drivers see more cyclists, they drive more carefully.