Bicycle Network: Behaviour

The campaign will:

Prevent collisions

Above all we want to reduce the number of collisions that occur after dark. These are often serious. Between 2000 and 2005, a quarter of all collisions (23.56%) leading to rider being killed or hospitalised were in dark conditions.

Improve communication

We also want to improve visual communication between road users. It makes it hard for drivers to do the right thing if riders don’t have decent lights on their bike. We want to put an end to that frustrating and alarming feeling when you come upon an unlit rider in your headlights.

Guide riders to the best performing lights

Riders say to us that they don’t know which lights to buy. There are no standards that apply to bike lights and a store is perfectly within its rights to sell a light that doesn’t meet the regulations.

Monitor penalties

Since 2005 penalties for riding a bicycle a night without lights have risen in most states. The current penalties in most states range from $100 to $160. The ACT, Queensland and the Northern Territory all have penalties below $100. We support penalties that are higher than the cost of a set of lights and encourage the Territories and Queensland to review their penalties.

Communicate road rules

We support the traffic regulations that say lights must be visible from 200m and have to be used when it is dark or in poor light conditions such as fog, thunderstorms as well as in darkness. At some stage the regulations should be amended to take account of side on visibility – something we test lights for each year.