Road safety is everybody’s responsibility

THE tragic accident in which two cyclists out on a training ride in Durban were killed by a speeding young man on Sunday, raises a few issues, which all motorists and cyclists must take to heart, failing which more lives will most certainly be lost.

The details of this particular incident will emerge in court, but in general the fact of the matter is that there are simply too many young drivers with their high-powered cars using our public roads as racing tracks.

Their testosterone-fuelled antics become even more menacing when under the influence of alcohol (or drugs).

They kill themselves, their passengers or innocent road users and somehow we need to educate them about the principle of recklessness having dire consequences.

But cyclists themselves are not blameless.

I personally often encounter the pedal brigades out training over a weekend and they themselves act recklessly and arrogantly.

They’ll amble along three abreast, chatting away, expecting cars and trucks to take evasive action.

With oncoming traffic and limited manoeuvring space, the margin for error is minute as trucks hurtle past them.

The other danger is that when motorists are tucked behind huge trucks, they have no way of spotting a group of cyclists up ahead.

Only when the truck suddenly veers out the way are you confronted with a potentially fatal situation.

Just like reckless motorists, cyclists are also pushing their luck.

Cyclists are forever pointing fingers at motorists to take responsibility for their safety. This is not only arrogant, but unwise.

As was the case in the Durban accident, the cyclists were illegally using a freeway – and then they want to argue the point.

Road safety is everybody’s responsibility.

VD MALAN