Fine Gael Dáil Deputy Ciaran Cannon has taken issue with messaging from the Road Safety Authority encouraging cyclists to wear hi-vis. He said the safety agency was focusing on the wrong road users and shifting culpability onto cyclists in the event of road crashes.
Cannon - an avid cyclist who has campaigned for safer cycling infrastructure and cyclist-friendly laws - said when he was knocked from his bike last year, suffering a serious knee injury, he was wearing hi-vis and yet it made no difference to the driver.
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He also shared photographers on Twitter of adults and children cycling in the Netherlands, who had no safety clothing on and yet it was a country where cycling culture was far ahead of Ireland's.
Cannon was responding to a Tweet shared by the RSA featuring a man and young boy on bikes wearing hi-vis items. The Tweet told cyclists to wear hi-vis clothing, which was top of its list of advice.
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In reply, Cannon shared a photo of himself in the partially hi-vis jersey he was wearing when knocked down, telling the RSA: "It was broad daylight. I was dressed exactly like this and it made no difference whatsoever to the motorist who just didn’t take the time to check if I was sharing the road with him. 20 mins later I was in an ambulance. You’re focusing on the wrong people here."
He shared the photo of people cycling without safety clothing, saying: "How cycling families dress in countries that really understand road safety. Every time you propagate the high vis myth, you shift the balance of power on our roads even further towards motorists and absolve them of the need to drive carefully."
