Subscribe to RSSPolice Create 3D Cycle Safety DVD
A 3D cycle safety DVD has been launched by police in Dunedin to raise awareness amongst both motorists and cyclists of the hazards that are present when they share the road.
It follows the journey of cyclists in a busy urban setting, building a picture of the hazards they encounter negotiating motor vehicle traffic. It also switches to the viewpoint of motorists, as they share the road with a cyclist.
Police plan to distribute the DVD nationally, make it available to driver training and cyclist organisations, and other road safety organisations, and be shown in public spaces such as shopping malls and retail outlets, and in workplaces.
The five-minute DVD highlights hazards that include motorists travelling too close, carrying out overtaking manoeuvres, pulling out or opening vehicle doors without being aware of what’s around them, and focusing on other motor vehicles not cyclists. It also presents facts about cyclists’ injuries, the speeds they travel at, and the need for cyclists to obey traffic signals, as do motorists.
Superintendent Paula Rose, National Manager - Road Policing.said the launch of this DVD is “very timely as we have had a number of tragic fatalities amongst the cycling community recently.
Commonwealth Gold Medal Cyclist, Alison Shanks, launched the 3-D DVD, which has been produced for NZ Police by Dunedin company, Taylormade Media Ltd.
Funding came from the NZ Police National Community Road Safety Initiatives, which supports initiatives aimed at improving road safety in communities.
Idea originator, Dunedin Sergeant Jan Craig, says “Cycle crashes can be very unforgiving. If we can help cyclists and motor vehicle drivers to see their actions from a different and very real perspective then they may see themselves as equal users of the roads,.”
Ten cyclists have been killed on New Zealand roads so far this year. At least another 124 have been seriously injured and 632 have suffered minor injuries in crashes involving cyclists.
It’s not just an Auckland issue. In the police southern area, 15 cyclists have been seriously injured and 29 received minor injuries this year.
In the year to 30 June 2010, national ACC claims for cycle crashes which involved a motor vehicle or occurred on a public road cost over $12 million. This figure is funded out of ACC’s motor vehicle account.
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[...] in Cycling General by AKT — December 7, 2010 at 10:37 am | 0 comments [...]