Breaking the Cycle

THORNHILL, ON, June 9 /CNW/ - CAA South Central Ontario is putting the brakes on car-bike collisions. CAA SCO is launching its 'Watch for Bikes' campaign to stop these accidents in their tracks.

So far this year in Toronto, 270 cyclists have been involved in collisions and 36 charges of "Open Vehicle Door Improperly" have been laid.

"All of these collisions can be avoided," said Anna Halkidis, Community Relations Manager. "Let's break the cycle of drivers opening their car door in the path of cyclists. Place a 'Watch for Bikes' sticker on your driver side mirror as a constant reminder to check for cyclists and other traffic."

"It is important that occupants of motor vehicles not just use their mirror to look for cyclists, but actually check over their shoulder and see that the way is clear," said Sergeant Tim Burrows, Toronto Police Traffic Services. "There are many awards that are worth winning in life and the door prize is not one of them. Cyclists should be aware of occupied vehicles and do their best to stay out of the door zone."

CAA SCO is urging drivers to check carefully for cyclists approaching from behind before opening your vehicle door. The fine for opening a door into a cyclist's path is $110 and two demerit points.

Make wise choices while you are driving or cycling and keep yourself and everyone else around you safe.

Here's how:

    
    -   Stay alert when you drive or cycle.
    -   Slow down and leave yourself enough space when you drive or cycle to
        give you and others time to react.
    -   Check your blind spot before opening a car door.
    -   When making a right turn, check the curb to make sure you do not cut
        off a cyclist.
    -   Take a CAN-BIKE or driver's education course and upgrade your skills.
    -   Know the rules of the road.
    

You can pick up your 'Watch for Bikes' stickers at your local CAA store.

CAA South Central Ontario is a not-for-profit auto club offering insurance, travel, automotive care and roadside services. There are more than 1.8 million CAA members in South Central Ontario and 5 million members in Canada. We are more than Roadside Assistance. We're Life-side Assistance. Visit www.caasco.com.

For further information: Media contact: Silvana Aceto, Media and PR Specialist, CAA SCO, [email protected], Office: [phone], Cell: [phone] or Jeff LeMoine, Internal/External PR Specialist, [email protected], Office: [phone], Cell: [phone]; Follow CAA on Twitter @caasco for regular updates on wait times and other news and information