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Cyclists in Queensland, Australia are being offered counselling and support following road traffic collisions or near misses, with help available around the clock.
The telephone-based service has been introduced by campaign group Bicycle Queensland and will be offered to all its 18,000 members and aims to help riders cope with the stress that such incidents can cause.
It is being provided by critical incident assistance providers, OAS and will comprise a consultation of up to 60 minutes plus referral to specialists where relevant, reports myGC.
Bicycle Queensland’s chief executive, Anna Savage, said: “The mental health and wellbeing of riders is often overlooked following road incidents.
“Riders commonly experience psychological distress and anxiety after an accident or near miss.
“This service will provide cyclists with the opportunity to process any distress and psychological trauma by connecting with experts who understand the immediate and ongoing impacts of a traumatic experience.
“Our aim is to ensure cyclists have the support they need to get back on their bikes with confidence, as soon as they feel ready,” she added.
Born in Scotland, Simon moved to London aged seven and now lives in the Oxfordshire Cotswolds with his miniature schnauzer, Elodie. He fell in love with cycling one Saturday morning in 1994 while living in Italy when Milan-San Remo went past his front door. A daily cycle commuter in London back before riding to work started to boom, he's been news editor at road.cc since 2009. Handily for work, he speaks French and Italian. He doesn't get to ride his Colnago as often as he'd like, and freely admits he's much more adept at cooking than fettling with bikes.