Cycling UK, the country’s leading cycling charity, is calling on the government to reverse cuts and fund a new THINK!-style campaign, updated for today’s digital landscape to raise awareness of the 2022 changes to the Highway Code.  The charity believes an awareness campaign is crucial to the government’s own ‘safe systems approach’ to road safety, which Ministers have committed to as part of the new Road Safety Strategy published earlier this month.

It went on to highlight how spending on THINK! – the government body responsible for promoting road safety, has been cut by two-thirds since 2019, at a time when road danger remains a real concern.

The 2022 Highway Code changes were meant to mark a significant shift in road behaviour across the UK. It introduced the hierarchy of road users, strengthened guidance on safely overtaking cyclists, horse riders and pedestrians, promoted the ‘Dutch Reach’ to reduce car-dooring incidents, and clarified priorities at junctions to improve safety for people cycling and walking.

A short-lived awareness campaign run by THINK was seen as a good first step, but Cycling UK has argued more needs to be done to ensure people know the road rules have changed and to address entrenched behaviours. This call has been backed by MPs during a Parliamentary debate this week on women’s safety while walking, wheeling and cycling.

With concern mounting as to whether updates are fully understood, just last month the government’s Road Safety Strategy highlighted the importance of a ‘lifelong learning approach’ suggesting the need for a major road safety awareness campaign. While DfT figures show that cycling has increased by over a third since 2004, progress on safety has stalled in recent years. Despite cycling fatalities having fallen in the long-term, serious injuries remain persistently high. In 2024, 82 people riding bikes died in collisions, with more than 3,800 being involved in an incident that left them seriously injured.

Sarah McMonagle, Director of External Affairs at Cycling UK, said:

“We can’t expect people to follow rules they don’t know about. What we need is a balanced approach to improving road safety that combines education, prevention and enforcement of the rules. It’s important we clearly explain why these changes came into action and how they work to protect people walking to the shops or cycling their children to school.”

Reporting systems for careless and dangerous driving, including close passes, are vital, but Cycling UK stresses that enforcement and education need to run side by side.

(Picture: Cycling UK)