City council vehicles join safety campaign in memory of cyclist
AUTHORITY’S ENTIRE FLEET WILL DISPLAY THE ‘SAM SAYS’ STICKERS
SAFETY stickers, designed in memory of a Leicester teacher who was killed when he was knocked off his bike, are to be placed in hundreds of council vehicles.
Leicester City Council is backing a road safety campaign launched by the family of Sam Boulton, who died after a passenger opening a car door outside Leicester railway station inadvertently pushed him into the path of a van.
Hundreds of stickers bearing 26-year-old Sam’s face have been produced to go in car windows to remind people to check for cyclists before they exit vehicles, to avoid “car-dooring”.
Sam’s dad, Jeff, and his brother, Joe, are hoping to get the stickers in as many taxis, fleet vehicles and family cars as possible across the city and county.
Now the council has said it will support the campaign by pledging to introduce the stickers across its fleet of more than 720 vehicles.
The campaign is already being backed by three major taxi firms, Swift Fox Cabs, ADT taxis and Hansom Taxis.
Jeff said: “The Sam Says campaign is about reminding people of the dangers and potential human costs of car-dooring and the simple things we can all do help prevent it from happening.
“Sam’s death was heartbreaking for the whole family and we want to mark his memory by helping to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
“The aim is to get the Sam Says stickers into as many vehicles as possible. It’s so important that drivers and passengers remember to take a moment to check for cyclists and take care when opening their doors.
“We’re really grateful to the city council and the taxi firms that are already supporting the campaign for setting such a positive example. We hope other companies will follow their lead.”
Deputy city mayor Councillor Adam Clarke said: “Sam Boulton’s tragic death has highlighted the vulnerability of cyclists and the Sam Says campaign will help remind people to take the greatest possible care when leaving a vehicle. The council has hundreds of vehicles and it’s vital that we lead by example in such an important safety campaign. We’re very proud to support Sam Says.”
Design and printing costs for the stickers have also been met by a grant for the city council’s £300 Bike Challenge.
The Sam Says campaign has also received support from national cycling charity Cycling UK. It believes that the offence of car-dooring – which currently carries a maximum fine of £1,000 – is trivialised as a minor offence.
The charity is calling on the Government to improve driver education and introduce a new offence of causing or permitting serious injury or death by car-dooring, backed by tougher penalties.
A second Critical Mass ride Ride for Sam, celebrating Sam’s life is set to take place on Friday, July 27, two years to the day since his death.