Friday 13th November, ITV1, 8pm
On the UK’s roads, the car is king – but with thousands of collisions between cars and bikes each year is it time cyclists were better protected?
As the government continues to encourage the nation's motorists to opt for more environmentally friendly modes of transport, Fiona Foster sets out to examine relationships between cyclists and motorists on Britain's busy roads.
As the number of cyclists killed and seriously injured on the UK's roads increases, Fiona speaks to one lady whose husband, a passionate cyclist, was killed in an accident with a lorry. But can cyclists always blame collisions on the 4-wheeled road users, or do they have to shoulder some of the blame themselves? We went out on patrol with Cambridgeshire Police who are clamping down on wreckless riding by cyclists.
Fiona's journey also takes her to the Netherlands, where over a quarter of journeys are made by bike. Yet despite their high level of cyclists, they have one of the lowest levels of cycling fatalities in Europe. Here Fiona is introduced to the successful Dutch cycling network and learns about that, in accidents involving a car and bicycle, the motorist's insurer will automatically be held responsible unless there is clear evidence the cyclist is to blame. With recent calls for a similar policy to be brought in in the UK, could such a law work in Britain?
We hear views of motorists on this controversial idea and invite a panel of cycling and motoring fanatics, including Gail Porter, Tiff Needell, Vicki Butler Henderson and Simon O’Brien, to witness a series of accidents before deciding who should really be held responsible. Self-confessed petrol head, Quentin Wilson puts cycling to the test as Tonight sends him out on two wheels around the hectic roads of central London. Will this experience change his views towards cyclists?
Useful links:
For more information about cycling in the UK visit:
www.ctc.org.uk
For more information about cycling in the Netherlands visit:
www.hembrow.eu/cycling
For additional motorist information / advice visit:
www.abd.org.uk
With thanks to Amberley Museum:
www.amberleymuseum.co.uk
