A report from the Office of Ontario’s Chief Coroner has made recommendations on how to make the roads safer for cyclists.
The recommendations include a ‘complete streets’ approach which focuses on the (re)development of communities by taking into account the safety of all road users, mandatory side guards for trucks which would prevent cyclists from getting caught under the wheels, a one-metre passing rule for vehicles and mandatory helmet legislation for cyclists of all ages.
In the study only 27 per cent of those killed were wearing a helmet.
Currently, in Ontario only cyclists under the age of 18 are required by law to wear a helmet.
In Ontario, where accidents involve a bicycle and a car, cyclists are protected by the Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule, a regulation found in the Ontario Insurance Act. Cyclists need not have their own accident insurance to be provided coverage in these cases.
To view the full article by the Toronto Star please click here.
To view the full Cycling Death Review by the Office of the Chief Coroner please click here.