CTC Stop ‘Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You’ Site Now Live
Posted October 6th, 2009 by admin
Stop ‘Sorry Mate, I Didn’t See You’
Because sometimes sorry just isn’t enough.
Bad driving intimidates and harms innocent people. Cyclists and pedestrians are particularly endangered by negligent or aggressive driving because we’re not encased in a few tonnes of metal every time we set out on the roads.
Stop SMIDSY will address how the police, prosecutors, the courts, and the law itself could all do a better job at encouraging people to use the roads in safer and more considerate ways. When we lobby these institutions on your behalf, we need evidence of how they need to improve. That’s where you come in.
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Riders can also get advice
Riders can also get advice on dealing with bad driving, find information on the law and even seek legal advice via CTC's claims line. “Stop SMIDSY is about giving cyclists the opportunity to speak out about what’s happening on our roads,†said CTC campaigns coordinator Debra Rolfe. “Far too many drivers are getting away with just saying ‘sorry’, rather than being taken to task for their poor road skills. That’s why we’re calling on anyone who cycles to help Stop SMIDSY.â€
How ironic: the only time
How ironic: the only time I've been knocked off my bike was a few weeks ago, when I was just about to launch Stop SMIDSY, a cycling campaign to combat bad driving. After I hit the ground, the first thing the driver said to me was: "Sorry I didn't see you!" Fortunately, I suffered relatively minor injuries, and the driver paid for my bike to be repaired. But I was shaken and shocked that the driver hadn't seen me, and seemingly hadn't thought a cyclist would be on the road. This incident served as a reminder of just why I am running the campaign in the first place. SMIDSY stands for "Sorry Mate I Didn't See You", a phrase most regular cyclists have heard at some point. Stop SMIDSY aims to raise awareness of bad driving and to collect evidence of it, to ensure that inattentive, arrogant or aggressive (ie bad) driving happens less.