Pro cyclist Imogen Cotter launches road safety campaign, says “drivers see cyclists as an object that interferes with their journey”

Irish professional cyclist Imogen Cotter has launched a road safety campaign, asking drivers to “slow down and share the roads safely with people cycling” by partnering with the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and Škoda Ireland, after a new report showed a worrying increase in people being seriously injured while cycling.

Cotter, a former Irish road cycling champion, suffered serious injuries last year, breaking her kneecap and forearm, after being hit by an oncoming driver on the wrong side of the road, who was trying to overtake another cyclist.

Since the collision, Cotter has documented her road to recovery and is now working with the RSA and Škoda Ireland on a safety appeal campaign reminding motorists to share the roads safely with cyclists.

RSA’s report found that eight in ten serious injuries to cyclists were a result of multi-vehicle collisions which involved a car 76 percent of the time. Further to this, a “failure to observe” by drivers was the most frequently noted action in collisions where cyclists were seriously injured.

Speaking at the launch of the new campaign, Cotter said: “I remember seeing the van coming at me and thinking I was going to die. I hit the windscreen really hard. It was horrifying for my parents to get a call like that.

“It felt so unfair, everything I worked for, for so long could have been gone in an instant. People need to slow down and see the impact not observing people cycling can have. My message is for people to slow down and realise there is a real person cycling on that road. They are people with whole lives and goals.

“If this campaign can make one person slow down that will be a step in the right direction to making roads safer for everyone.”

> “Today feels like a big win”: Imogen Cotter makes racing comeback – seven months after being struck head-on by speeding motorist

I’m so proud to launch this advert campaigning for road safety. It’s vulnerable and emotional to share my story, but I’m doing it in the hopes that I can help to save a life through changing drivers’ attitudes towards cyclists. @SkodaIRL @RSAIreland pic.twitter.com/Xg7tzegU3r

— Imogen Cotter (@CotterImogen) May 4, 2023

Cotter was injured in January 2022 near Girona, Spain while she was training, suffering a ruptured quadriceps tendon, and a broken patella, radius and ulna. She had to undergo five surgeries and hundreds of hours of physiotherapy to recover.

“I feel so lucky to be alive,” wrote Cotter after the incident. “I’m just so grateful to still be here to write this. It could have been so much worse.”

The last sentence seems to have become a recurring theme among many cyclists who are lucky enough to survive a collision caused by a driver, according to Cotter, who after her own crash started using her platform to draw attention to bad driving and raise awareness for motorists.

Imogen Cotter's bike after training collision with motorist (credit - Instagram/ Imogen Cotter)

After reports that the truck driver who killed the retired Italian classics star Davide Rebellin was still driving for his brother’s transport firm in Germany surfaced this week, Cotter commented on Twitter: “This makes me sick. When will harsher punishments be brought in for those who kill while driving? What are we waiting for?

“There is no deterrent. You kill someone, repair your car, and go back to your job, while the victim’s loved ones go through hell. How can we change this!?

“I’m fully aware that I harp on about this all the time, but surviving my collision has given me more motivation to use my platform for some good to raise awareness. I have passed the driver who nearly killed me TWICE in his car since. Can you imagine how traumatic that is?

“Drivers see cyclists as an object that interferes with their journey. NOT as a human being who has goals, a life, loved ones. I really don’t know how we can fix this disconnect and it scares me. I’m just FED UP of being afraid that I won’t make it home alive from a training ride.”

> Lorry driver who killed Davide Rebellin failed to stop at scene of fatal collision because he didn’t think he was at fault, says brother

Last year in August, Cotter returned to the peloton seven months after her horror crash, lining out at the pro kermesse in Berlare, Belgium, in what was her debut ride for the UCI Continental squad Plantur-Pura. She now rides for Fenix-Deceuninck Continental.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Imogen Cotter (@imogencotter)

Cotter only took up cycling four years ago at the age of 25 but quickly rose through the ranks, moving to Belgium to participate in the domestic racing scene there while working a number of part-time jobs.

In 2020, she rode in the Tour of Flanders and the following year became part of Movistar’s e-racing team, building a strong social media following advertising products, which helped fund her training and racing programme.

In October 2021, Cotter won the Irish national road race title, and later that autumn signed a one-year contract with the Plantur-Pura team for the next season. She was due to represent Ireland in the UCI Esports World Championships 2022 before her crash derailed her season.

RSA’s campaign, which Cotter hopes will improve cyclists’ safety on roads, calls for drivers to shoulder the responsibility instead of entirely relying on cyclists to have personal protective equipment, bright clothing, or lights on.

The campaign aims to remind drivers to give enough space to cyclists, check mirrors regularly, check for cyclists before opening the door to get out, and slow down.