In recent years, the practice of cycling has increased in large cities, driven by the development of self-service bicycle systems and the mayors’ desire to reduce car traffic in the city center. “In Ile-de-France, we are from 300,000 daily bicycle trips in 2001 to 700,000 in 2010, “recalls Dominique Lebrun, inter-ministerial coordinator for the use of bicycles. A progression that has been paired with the risks incurred by bicycle users. “The accidents of cyclists are related to several causes: the no respect of the signaling (fires, stop …) by some of them, the turn-left badly negotiated by others, the not taken into account of the cyclists by motorized users (excessive speed, safety distance not respected, fishtail …), the lack of lighting and visibility of bicycle users(not wear a reflective vest ), especially when they are in blind spots “, describes Emmanuel Reynard, director of education and training of the Association Prevention router.
“The main problem is that users have not learned to live together well. All cyclists must respect the rules of the road and other road users must be aware that bicycle drivers are vulnerable. Motorists need to know, for example, that a minimum distance of one meter is needed in the city to double a bike, “adds Chantal Perdition, president of the League against road violence.
Prevention and control
To reduce the number of injured cyclists, both agree on the need to develop information and prevention campaigns for them. The Road Safety Association has also planned one in 2013, which will focus on the visibility of cyclists. For Emmanuel Reynard, we must emphasize the importance of specific equipment for cyclists: “We recommend that they wear a high-visibility vest even during the day, as well as a helmet. In addition, they must check that their bike is equipped with retro-reflective tape. ”
Chantal Perdition also insists on the need to increase the control of cyclists by law enforcement agencies, when they do not respect the rules of the road. For example, Strasbourg has recently decided to increase the number of cyclists and to more systematically verbalize their traffic offenses, by imposing less expensive fines on them. Finally, Dominique Lebrun stresses the importance of increasing the number of protected cycle paths. Suggestions among others, which will be reviewed by the National Road Safety Council (CNSR) this year, before action is taken to improve the safety of cyclists.