The Oxford Times: Police launch crackdown on cyclists
3:46pm Monday 26th October 2009
Police are launching their Cycle Lights campaign in Oxford tomorrow.
In the last five years, three cyclists have been killed, 126 were seriously injured and 747 were slightly injured in collisions within Oxford city alone.
As a result, through November, officers from the Oxford Local Police Area and the roads policing unit, will be carrying out checks on cyclists to ensure that they are complying with regulations to use front and rear lights in hours of darkness.
Police said offences would be dealt with by way of £30 non-endorsable Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN). The cyclist then has the option of paying the fine, electing a court appearance or taking advantage of the offer of purchasing a set of cycle lights and producing a receipt at a police station in the city. Their fixed penalty notice would then be cancelled.
Road Safety Constable Mark Pilling said: “When the nights draw in, we tend to see an increase in the number of collisions due to reduced visibility.
“This campaign is aimed at educating cyclists about how important it is that they are fully visible to all other road users.
“Just because a cyclist can see where they are going on a well-lit street, does not necessarily mean that they are fully visible to motorists approaching with their headlights on.
“Cyclists should have a light on both the front and back of the bike, and they should wear either some fluorescent or high visibility clothing. They are reminded to remove the lights when they lock up their bikes to prevent them from being stolen.”
