Road Safety: Prevention Campaign for Cyclists!

Road Safety will launch eight posters tomorrow providing advice for riding bicycles responsibly in the city.

In 2021, according to the annual report from Road Safety, 227 cyclists died within 30 days following their accidents on French roads. This accounts for 0.42% of the total number of road accidents that year. With the spread of active mobility and low-emission zones, the number of cyclists in cities will continue to rise.

Therefore, Road Safety aims to remind everyone of the traffic rules through advertising posters in public places. These posters are “by cyclists, for cyclists,” offering an overview of essential practices for their safety.

Starting tomorrow, so keep an eye on your bus and metro stops to find them!

Good cycling practices and proper equipment for safety

The advice from the Road Safety campaign is divided into two categories: traffic rules and personal equipment.

Traffic rules

This first category includes common-sense advice when interacting with other road users:

Signal your turns by extending your hand;
Plan your route before leaving and choose the safest path;
Be cautious of car doors opening;
Use the bike lane if available (which is also mandatory under penalty of a €135 fine).

Bike lane Sébastopol Paris 2023 — Sébastopol Bike Lane in Paris, January 2023 (©Mobiwisy)

In addition, we recommend the following:

Be especially vigilant when turning left on a bike route, as drivers may not see you;
Use the bike box, the area between the stop line and the pedestrian crosswalk at a traffic light;
Avoid staying in the blind spot of trucks or utility vehicles (indicated by a “blind spot” sticker);
Respect traffic lights unless a specific bicycle sign (see the next section) allows you to go through.

Mobiwisy reminds you that You are required to obey the Traffic Code just like any other road user, under penalty of a fine.

The special case of the “Yield to cyclists” sign

You might have noticed a triangular red and fluorescent sign with a bicycle and an arrow. It is called “Yield to cyclists at red lights.” In some cases, you can ignore the red light at the intersection where this sign is posted, provided you yield to priority vehicles and pedestrians crossing.

Be careful, you can only ignore the light in the directions indicated by the sign. In other situations, respect the traffic lights. Your safety and that of other road users depend on it.

Sign M12 Yield to cyclists — This Yield to Cyclists sign allows you to ignore a red light and go straight, as long as you yield to pedestrians and priority vehicles (©Road Safety)

Wearing personal safety equipment

As part of the prevention campaign, Road Safety offers advice for your cycling trips. They recommend the following practices:

Wear high-visibility clothing and/or accessories;
Always wear your helmet;
Check your bike’s condition (well-inflated tires, properly adjusted brakes).

It also advises against using your phone or headphones while riding, as it can be dangerous. For city cyclists, auditory distraction can itself cause accidents. This is especially true when cycling among buses and taxis on the bike lane. Electric vehicles and taxis are becoming quieter thanks to innovations, making it sometimes difficult to know if a taxi is behind you on the road.