AA Calls on Motorists to Give Cyclists Space

Motorists are being urged to exercise additional caution when overtaking cyclists and to respect the requirements of vulnerable road users when driving to keep Irish roads safe.

AA Ireland has called on motorists to be on the lookout for cyclists during National Bikeweek which runs from June 9th to 17th and in the months ahead as more people are likely to take to their bike during the summer months. The organisation is asking motorists to allow as much distance as possible when overtaking a cyclist (a minimum of 1 metre when travelling under 80km/h and 1.5metres when travelling in excess of this speed) and to check all blind spots before undertaking any maneuver.

“Road safety is a responsibility which anyone who uses our roads shares, regardless of their chosen mode of transport. However, as cars are the vehicle which can potentially cause the most damage the greatest share of the burden falls on motorists and it’s important that we ensure the rights and requirements of cyclists are respected to keep the number of serious and fatal incidents on our roads as low as possible,” Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs. “We need to move beyond the ‘us versus them’ narrative that some people seem desperate to cling on to. Many motorists are also cyclists, myself included, and allowing just a little extra space when you have to overtake someone on a bike can make a big difference in terms of reducing incidents on our roads.

With an increase in the number of people undertaking longer journeys by car expected over the summer months, the AA is also advising those who may be driving on roads they’re less familiar with to only overtake cyclists when they can do so safely. Motorists are also being encouraged to use the ‘Dutch Reach‘ method when exiting their vehicle to reduce the risk of opening their door into the path of an oncoming cyclist.

“Respecting the rights of cyclists is something we need to do all year round, but it’s particularly important to be on the lookout during the summer months as we can expect more people and particularly more occasional cyclists to break out the bike during the dry weather. No-one wants to see the number of deaths on Irish roads increase after so much progress has been made in this area, but unfortunately cyclists remain very vulnerable so it’s important that motorists give cyclists the required space and only overtake when it is absolutely safe to do so.”