Cyclists receive safety kits

After seeing that many South African people from previously disadvantaged backgrounds, use bicycles to commute to and from their workplace, the Automobile Association saw the need to equip those cyclists with necessary safety kits.

Most cyclists contravene the South African National Traffic Act because they do not have the required cycling safety equipment or reflective clothing.

In April last year, the association launched the Vulnerable Road User Project, which seeks to equip cyclists with the necessary safety kits. To date, 2 800 protective and reflective kits have been handed out to cyclists in seven communities and recently 700 cyclists of the Zandspruit area received these safety kits. “It is frightening to think that in South Africa, at least 40% of all road fatalities and injuries come from the vulnerable road user group, which includes cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. In 2010, 252 cyclists were killed and another 800 injured – further evidence that there is a need for safety equipment,” the association said in a statement.

Through the association’s Vulnerable Road User Project, busy cyclist routes in the Gauteng area have been identified and protective and reflective

gear handed out to cyclists in need of safety equipment.

The gear includes a reusable bag containing a safety helmet, high visibility reflective clothing and an information pamphlet, which educates cyclists on safe road use. Furthermore, bicycles are made more visible by equipping each one with reflective tape and a red Light-emitting diode (LED) rear light.

The result of the project in its entirety is that significantly more cyclists in the various identified communities are now equipped with the correct cycling equipment, which has made them more visible and therefore safer on the roads.