Government road safety campaign film contributes to ‘victim blaming of cyclists’
* Russell: Government should 'hang back' from victim blaming cyclists
The government’s road safety campaign film (1) demonstrates that the government "does not have the first idea about how to reduce danger for people cycling", says Caroline Russell AM, the Green Party’s Transport spokesperson.
The film, which appears to show a lorry overtaking a cyclist and turning left causing a crushing collision, is dangerous “victim blaming” says Russell, who campaigns for road danger reduction and cycles regularly in London:
"The government quite clearly shows they have not got the first idea about how to reduce danger for people cycling. Their film shows an HGV lorry overtake riskily at a junction and turn left in a classic left hook crash. Yet their message is a victim blaming call for the cyclist to stay back.
"I never filter to the left of lorries in stationary or heavy traffic but frequently find I am overtaken by lorries who put me in their blind spot by doing so. The message should have been directed at the lorry drivers to ask them to stay back from people cycling to avoid them being exposed to the risk of causing a crushing collision.
"Until we adopt a road danger reduction approach to keeping people safe on our streets, the miserable toll of death and injury on our streets will continue."
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