Do we know how to treat two-wheelers?

Keep seeing stuff on Twitter about the number of cyclists being killed on London’s roads this year. AA president Edmund King has been quite vocal on the issue (along with how many goals his young sons score each weekend in their football matches. They seem to average about six a game.) Don’t know if fatalities are higher than last year, but some reseach for an article I was writing last week dragged up some interesting cycling facts. Bike use was up 12 per cent between 2009 and 2010 – which can only be a good thing – when almost every other type of vehicle use was down. What’s worrying the insurance companies – I was writing for the customer magazine of one – is that riders’ lack of protection means massive claims and pay-outs. It’s not fixing bikes but bones that’s expensive, and in some cases paying out on life policies. Do car drivers know how to treat people on two wheels? Many riders would say not. It’s a fair point, and why does the Government’s long-standing THINK! road safety campaign feature no advice for drivers on how to deal with cyclists? There’s nothing about it all; no adverts, no posters, no guidance, nothing. That seems plain wrong to me.