As experts in Road Safety, one of our tasks should be to promote greater awareness about the safety of people, both in urban areas and on roads. In this sense, although our products are intended to make people’s lives safer, at Metalesa we intend to go further and we want to do our bit in this ongoing process of awareness.

In today’s post we talk about the safety of cyclists when they circulate through urban areas or roads. Undoubtedly, it is one of the most vulnerable groups that suffer too many accidents, which is a problem that must be solved.

To start with, here there are some figures. In 2014, 75 cyclists died on Spanish roads, in 2015 there were 55 and in 2016 it was reduced to 33. Having said that, although the trend of cyclist accidents seemed to be decreasing in the last five years, the truth is that in May 2017, these figures were already doubled, and in 2020, 36 cyclists lost their lives, a surprising number after long months of confinement.

At the beginning of the article we mentioned that our products are intended to ensure safety. However, people must also do their part to achieve this goal. Here there are some useful tips for both cyclists and drivers to ensure the safety of those both in urban areas and on roads.

Everything a cyclist needs to know to ensure their safety

Although there may be external factors that endanger their safety, it is important that the riders know how to protect themselves:

  • To know traffic regulations, and therefore, what you can do and what it is forbidden on the road will allow them to be more aware of the dangers.
  • If there is no bike lane on the road, it is preferable to travel on roads with a wide shoulder, much better if they are little traveled.
  • The use of conspicuous clothing is recommended to make themselves more visible. Here we also include the helmet color, which is mandatory.
  • Check wheels, brakes and lights from time to time. Something as fast as a simple check-up can save a rider’s life. Regarding the lights, it is important to note that they should be used both at the front and at the rear in low light hours. In addition, it is mandatory to turn on the lights when driving through the interior of a tunnel, whatever time it is.
  • Use of the rear-view mirror. This device is less common than it should be. Rather few cyclists decide to attach a rear-view mirror to their bicycle, but it is undoubtedly a very useful component to increase safety, and cheap indeed.

What must a vehicle driver take into account to ensure the safety of cyclist?

  • It is important to bear in mind that, when passing a cyclist, the air displaced by the vehicle can throw him off balance. Therefore, when overtaking, at least 1.5m of lateral space must be left as a safety distance.
  • If cyclists are observed, slow down and be extremely cautious.
  • The horn should not be used to warn the cyclist of the presence of the vehicle because it can scare, distract and cause them a fall.
  • It is very important to know when cyclists have priority. For example, a group of cyclists has priority when they have started a crossing or entered a roundabout.
  • Only with greater respect for the priority of passage and the safety distance could the number of cyclist victims be significantly reduced.

We are aware that these are quite obvious pieces of advice, but it is not a bad thing to remember them considering that, statistically, most accidents occur precisely because of not complying with these simple tips.

 

Road Safety Improvements for cyclists through urban planning

Not only are people becoming more and more aware, so are cities, orienting their planning towards more efficient models, both in terms of safety and sustainability. In this sense, the promotion of urban mobility through the use of bicycles entails an ambitious urban reorganization that involves the implementation of cycle lanes. In fact, we are seeing that the cities deploy every day more kilometers of bike lanes.

 

How do we guarantee the safety of cyclists from Metalesa?

Protection is our goal. That is why we design and manufacture road safety products specially designed for this.

Our M009 cyclopedestrian railing is a restraint system for cyclists that cannot be absent in urban areas or on roads to reduce the accident rate of cyclists.

It is located at the ends of bridges or crowning walls to prevent pedestrians and cyclists from falling into the void. It differs from a normal railing in its height, between 1.3 – 1.5 meters, which prevents cyclists from exceeding it, which is perfectly possible with traditional railings for pedestrians up to 1 meter high.

In addition, all the components of the railing are protected against corrosion at the customer’s discretion: hot galvanized, thermo-lacquered or both treatments at the same time.

The thermo-lacquering allows to facilitate the aesthetic integration of the cyclopedestrian railings with the environment, since we can paint them in any color from the RAL chart.

In a previous post we made reference to how 5G technology in cities can help ensure maximum safety. Perhaps a day will come when cyclists will cease to be a vulnerable group thanks to the development of tools based on wireless connectivity. However, at Metalesa, we obviously support technological progress and the great advances that it can bring to road safety, but we also want to take advantage of it to call for the responsibility of each one. Safety is everyone’s business!

En un post anterior hicimos referencia a cómo la tecnología 5G en las ciudades podrá ayudar a garantizar la seguridad al máximo. Quizá llegará algún día en el que los ciclistas dejen de ser un grupo vulnerable gracias al desarrollo de herramientas basadas en la conectividad inalámbrica. No obstante, desde Metalesa, evidentemente apoyamos el progreso tecnológico y los grandes avances que puede aportar a la seguridad vial, pero también queremos aprovechar para hacer un llamamiento a la responsabilidad de cada uno. ¡La seguridad es cosa de todos!