07 Mar 2025 Launch of the ‘Look to Save Lives’ cycle safety campaign by the PPA
Premier Alan Winde, Minister Isaac Sileku and Minister Ricardo Mackenzie visit the PPA at the Cape Town Cycle Tour Expo after the launch of the #looktosavelives campaign which is a partnership between the PPA and Western Cape Mobility. The importance of K53 questions about cycling and the 1 meter passing law will become a priority in our continued partnership.
Pedal Power Association, one of South Africa’s largest cycling organisations, is excited to launch the ‘Look to Save Lives’ cycle safety campaign in the first week of March. The campaign is supported by the Western Cape Government’s Mobility Department.
The Western Cape is known for its scenic cycling routes, but some routes are highly congested with cyclists taking advantage of the weather and some preparing for the largest timed cycling event in the world, the Cape Town Cycle Tour, which takes place on Sunday, 9 March.
The ‘Look to Save Lives’ cycling safely campaign focuses on creating awareness and trying to shift behaviours amongst drivers of motor vehicles to avoid ‘dooring’ incidents. These incidents typically occur when somebody opens a vehicle door into the riding path of a cyclist. Two recent incidents sadly claimed the lives of seventeen-year-old Calib De Kock in Sea Point and Cecil Smith in St James.
PPA CEO, Neil Robinson said: “We are grateful that the Western Cape provincial Minister of Mobility, Isaac Sileku, supports PPA in creating awareness about how dangerous ‘dooring’ is to cyclists. Swinging a door open without checking behind you using your rear view or side mirrors for oncoming traffic can easily sweep a cyclist off his bike, causing serious injuries or even death,” Robinson explains. “Think about the width of your door when it’s open. You easily have a 1-meter mobile barrier swinging into the road each time you get out of your vehicle. A moment of reflection could save a life.”
“We have designed small transparent stickers to fit into the corner of a side mirror just as a reminder, to look before exiting your vehicle. The PPA activations team will be handing out these stickers with messaging to drivers at intersections in and around Cape Town. There will also be a selection of car fresheners, wrist bands and bumper stickers available with the same messaging which constantly reminds drivers of their obligations and tries to shift behaviors into more positive habits. “We trust that the campaign will bring about awareness to the danger of swinging open a vehicle door without checking for rear oncoming traffic,” Robinson concluded.
“Cyclists are more likely to be injured in a dooring incident, especially if a vehicle’s door opens unexpectedly and the cyclist has no time to brake or avoid it. We continue to appeal to road users to take the necessary steps to prevent dooring incidents from occurring. We hope that by supporting this campaign we can help make Western Cape roads safer for all, including cyclists,” added Minister Sileku.
