Driving Instructors Push for Cycling Awareness

Cycling casualties seem to be on the rise and, with this in mind, many driving instructors are pushing to increase the awareness of cycling safety on the road.

However, it is not just drivers who are likely to be to blame and, according to the majority of driving instructors, the cyclists themselves also need a better understanding of how to stay safe when on the road.

Despite the poor weather we have had this summer, the British cycling victories we have seen over the past year have lead to more and more people taking to their bikes. This is excellent for many reasons, improving the health of the nation and even helping to ease congestion on the roads. But with cycling casualties rising even before this increase, the need for both cyclists and drivers to be aware of the safety aspects involved with them heading out on to the road is greater than ever.

For driving instructors, it is also important to know how their ADI insurance covers them for accidents involving bikes. Whilst the majority of instructors are simply aware of the growing safety problem that bikes pose on the road, certain instructors have also found that accidents involving cyclists can be hard to claim for. With so many different factors at play, claiming for such an incident can be very tricky unless they happen to have instructor insurance from a very reputable firm.

The biggest issue that cyclists face is the fact that many drivers simply do not see them as legitimate road users. As such, many will pay far less mind to what a cyclist is doing than they will to what another car is doing, and many people even seem to simply have a cyclist ‘blind spot.’ Furthermore, many drivers may not know how or when to overtake, and instructors are now pushing to ensure that this is tested in exam conditions as much as any other factor of driving.