- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
news
'This cyclist is mortal' T-shirt.jpgLondon teen crowdfunds lorry warning sign T-shirts
A London teenager is looking to raise £1,500 for a series of T-shirt raising awareness of the vulnerability of cyclists. At the time of writing, Joseph Hunt’s Indiegogo campaign had just passed £1,000 with road safety charity RoadPeace receiving at least £3 of every pledge.
If you’re a regular road.cc reader, you might feel like you’ve seen something similar before. The T-shirts adapt the cyclist warning signs often seen on the back of HGVs and buses, giving them a cyclist-centric twist.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Hunt said it wasn’t about ‘us’ and ‘them’. It was simply about raising awareness of road safety issues via a bit of humour.
"It seems as if the signs we've imitated are trying to justify accidents before they even happen. When you put a helmet on and get on a bike, people in vehicles no longer seem to treat you as a real person. So I’ve tried to show that we are still people, with a bit of humour and even with the stark comment ‘This cyclist is mortal’ on one of the T-shirts. I want drivers to know that if they hit us, we will get hurt.
"But I’m not trying to promote the idea of ‘us’ and ‘them’, or cyclists versus cars. It’s more about making roads safer in general. I know Transport for London are doing a lot at the moment – but I just want to help them in their efforts, but in a tongue-in-cheek way."
Other slogans include ‘Caution – beware of passing this bike on the outside’ and ‘Lorries – stay back’.
The 18-year-old sixth form student said the idea came to him after several people he knew were involved in collisions while cycling.
"My entire family are keen cyclists and we know of people who have been knocked off their bikes before and been quite badly injured. One of my teachers even had to have reconstructive surgery on his shoulder after an accident.
"But even though I knew that the issue of cyclist safety was out there, after looking at some statistics it became clear that the rate of injuries and accidents wasn’t really getting better year on year. So that’s when I decided to make the T-shirts."
Each of the three designs is still available for an ‘early bird’ price of £15, including postage and packing as well as the donation to RoadPeace.
Alex has written for more cricket publications than the rest of the road.cc team combined. Despite the apparent evidence of this picture, he doesn't especially like cake.
Latest Comments
- chrisonabike 22 min 11 sec ago
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...
- andystow 22 min 59 sec ago
At least it's not as long-range as the review I read yesterday that said it was 240 km! They since corrected it.
- Bigtwin 30 min 15 sec ago
That clamp is clearly not suitable for a carbon post. Many aren't - the ones on some Whytes for example - because they concentrate the pressure on...
- dubwise 30 min 40 sec ago
I simply can't comprend how he has got off virtually scott-free. Why bother taking these morons to court, as nothing happens to them....
- don simon fbpe 33 min 19 sec ago
Why should governments be told "to hold their nerve", the democratic process was followed, in Wales, with a 2 year consultation period. These...
- HoarseMann 53 min 33 sec ago
Decathlon have the Garmin Varia RTL515 on offer at the moment for £129.99: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/rearview-radar-varia-rtl515-65-lumens/_/R-...
- galibiervelo 1 hour 26 min ago
Love kona. Really hope they can escape the overstocking and progress into profitable sales.
- Rendel Harris 2 hours 3 min ago
So when you said "all Jews" you didn't actually mean all Jews, just religious ones. However even that distinction is erroneous, as you must surely...
- Dnnnnnn 2 hours 57 min ago
Almost - but apparently not quite. There are in Northern Ireland.
Add new comment
15 comments
Maybe cover cars in health warnings like they do with fags. Or, even better, cover the inside of them in the health warning.
'That model is an excellent choice, sir - now would you like the interior in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or mangled leg, or just the 'these things kill thousands per year' text?'
Like these: http://www.copenhagenize.com/2009/07/driving-kills-health-warnings.html
Only 9 years behind then... I'll take that.
Sorry but it's crap, it won't change a damn thing.
IF you were going to bother to put something on the back then a picture of you holding your child, (in arms or holding hands as a toddler) 'Respect my safety so my mum/child/grandchild (delete as appropriate) can expect me home.
Maybe a picture of a mangled body and bike plus, drive safely or my mum/child will never forgive you, or some shizzle like that.
Doesn't actually matter if you're not a mum/dad to be honest, it's the emotive message that's important, because we know damn well the government don't give a fuck about cycling/pedestrian safety so need to use every psychology trick in the book.
Another pertinent sign would be, "This bicycle is being ridden by a human being." Seems to me that that concept is lost on a great deal of motorists.
It's a good idea, but I don't think that HGV drivers could really care less. Remember: we are "just cyclists" who "don't pay road tax", and really ought to just get out of their way. And since they can't see us from their cab, they will continue to assume that we are doing what they expect us to do.
Great, a massive over generalisation bitching about people over generalising. That should help.
Like the T-shirt.
OK, fair enough: do you prefer many or some but not all HGV drivers?
It's bad drivers, ignorant or inconsiderate gits and combinations in general. Same as you get with car drivers, motorcyclists and cyclists and everyone else - just that the consequences can be more severe. With HGV drivers I've found that the skills, awareness and consideration generally go up with the category - some of the very best drivers I've seen have been HGV 1, box van drivers not so much, but even that is a ridiculous over simplification. Improve awareness of all road users, vehicle design, road layout and properly enforced legislation - but let's not get side tracked with "they're all the same" mentality or rhetoric. Don't make things better.
I'm afraid this won't scare todays lorry driver. Maybe "immortal" would be better, because once run over the cyclist will come back for revenche: The cycling dead.
Did I watch too much tv yesterday? ( Most likely!)
Good idea, like the shirt
Are drunk cyclist behind the 'mortal' shirt?
Courtesy of Yehuda Moon
Shame I don't cycle in a T shirt. No cycle jersey option?