The AA, event partner at next week’s Great British Fleet Event, has marked the 10th anniversary of its Think Bikes campaign by warning that more than a quarter of fatalities on UK roads are on two wheels.
The Think Bikes sticker campaign launched in 2014 to make drivers more aware of the vulnerable road users around them – and the AA and supporters say the campaign is as relevant today.
Government statistics released last September reveal that in 2022, 91 cyclists (down 20% on 2014 figures), and 350 motorcyclists (up 5% on 2014) were killed, and 15,693 cyclists (down 25% on 2014) and 16,943 motorcyclists (down almost 17% on 2014) were injured on British roads.
New research conducted by the AA reveals that 89% of drivers agreed ‘it’s sometimes hard to see cyclists’, which supports its call for drivers to be more alert and always Think Bikes. Elsewhere, less than 20% of respondents had heard of the Dutch Reach, compared with 43% who know about Dutch Reach but don’t use it. The Dutch Reach is a way of opening car doors from the inside with the hand furthest from the handle. It’s been used in the Netherlands since at least the 1970s and gives you a chance to check your mirrors and blind spot before opening the door.
In January 2022, the Highway Code was changed to include or update several rules to promote safety on the road, whilst supporting a healthy, sustainable, and efficient transport system to make cyclists feel and be safer on the roads.
These included a “Hierarchy of Road Users”, new rules on road positioning for cyclists and passing distance for drivers.
Ten years since the original campaign launch, the AA is still committed to spreading the original messages of the ‘Think Bikes’ message and all new AA vehicles are still fitted with the stickers. The AA is also encouraging other fleets to adopt the Think Bike stickers. The AA Trust will also continue to highlight the Think Bike messages to drivers through campaigning, social media and working with partners.
Edmund King, director of The AA Charitable Trust, said: “The survey shows that 89% of drivers agreed that it is ‘hard to see cyclists’ but it shouldn’t be if they look in the right places and Think Bikes. It is now 10 years since we launched our Think Bike sticker campaign. But unfortunately, the message is still as relevant today as it was a decade ago. Cycles and motorcycles make up just 2.75% of miles travelled compared to cars but account for more than one quarter of road deaths. This is why it is essential to spread the message again to all drivers to think bikes.”
Paul Morgan, Government Relations Executive, British Motorcyclists Federation, said: “Motorcyclists and drivers share the roads together and it is important that we look out for each other. And, given the particular vulnerability of motorcyclists, it is important that we increase motorists’ awareness of motorcyclists on the road to reduce collisions caused by a failure to see them on time. That is why we support the AA ‘Think Bikes’ campaign, to remind drivers and those on two wheels to look out for each other to keep us all safe on the roads.”
