Watch out for cyclists

Cycling is a very popular sport in the Czech Republic. Unfortunately, a lot of cycle paths run along Class II roads, which are also used by lorries. Around three thousand injured cyclists and four thousand traffic accidents involving cyclists and motorists are reported every year. Cyclists are road users which lorry drivers don’t especially enjoy seeing – they move relatively slowly, but not as slowly as pedestrians, so overtaking is more complicated. Cyclists are also very vulnerable and can easily fall off their bikes. But let’s look at the whole situation from the point of view of the cyclist. The cyclist doesn’t enjoy seeing large vehicles either. Riding a bike with a giant lorry weighing several tonnes next to you certainly doesn’t help you feel safe. So the cyclist may try to ride as close to the road’s edge as possible, and a simple gust of wind created by a large vehicle can put them off balance on this unsteady type of transport and possibly even knock them off.

Try to approach cyclists more benevolently and keep a safe distance of 1.5 m from the cyclist you are overtaking. They are not fixed obstacles but living human beings. 🙂