Startling new figures released by the AA as part of its ‘Think Bikes!’ campaign reveal 93% of drivers admit they can find it hard to see cyclists while driving.

Of nearly 18,000 adults surveyed, more than half also acknowledged that they are often ‘surprised when a cyclist appears from nowhere’. Drivers in Wales and Northern Ireland were exposed as the least likely to look out for pedal cyclists, while London’s drivers were revealed as the most likely to, despite a surge of fatalities on roads in the capital last year.

Citing that 42% of UK road traffic accidents are caused by a failure to look properly, the AA’s campaign is aiming to improve road safety for all road users, and to encourage a greater awareness amongst drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

One million stickers are being distributed to drivers reminding them to do a ‘double-take’ in their mirrors to look out for cyclists and motorcyclists in their blind spots.

David Robinson, a serious road traffic accident solicitor at Thompsons, said: “The news is sadly too often reporting stories of cyclists who are victims of road traffic accidents in some cities like London in particular but also across the UK.

“At Thompsons, we know only too well how vulnerable cyclists are on Britain’s roads from the thousands of cycle accident claims we have run over the years.

“Any campaign to raise awareness amongst vehicle drivers is welcome. We maintain that part of the driving test, and possibly also part of compulsory continuous learning, should have drivers on bikes to see what it’s like on two wheels rather than four (or more). There is a need for Government action and on that front – in terms of real safety moves - there is too little concrete action. There is a long way to go to make our roads genuinely safer for all users.”