“Dresden’s “Respect Through Consideration” Cycling Safety Campaign – Results and Future Plans”

After almost two weeks, the control campaign “Respect through consideration – cycling in view” came to an end last weekend. The aim of the campaign, which was carried out jointly for the first time by the state capital of Dresden and the Dresden Police Department, was to improve cycling safety.

Almost 3,300 vehicles (including around 1,400 bicycles) were checked during traffic checks and more than 2,400 violations were found. 530 cyclists illegally used the sidewalk, 475 were traveling in the opposite direction and 133 times the traffic was red. 39 cyclists used their mobile phones. Red light (306) and mobile phone violations (266) were the most common drivers. The seat belt was not fastened 152 times and defects in the vehicle were found in 89 cases. 18 motor vehicle drivers did not keep to the specified lateral distance when overtaking cyclists.

“The action days were a successful start to the future even closer cooperation between the state capital and the Dresden police department. The results of the controls show us that cycling in Dresden is not yet safe and comfortable everywhere. Most of the violations occurred there, where cyclists will not find any suitable or detour-free cycling facilities. Our goal is to create these conditions. The increase in quality for cycling will thus also lead to an increase in general safety in road traffic. A key to this are, for example, more safe cycling locations along the roads,” says Traffic Mayor Stephan Kühn.

The head of the traffic police inspection, Gerald Baier, hopes that the controls have made many road users aware of the need for considerate interactions and the dangers associated with cycling: “We will only be successful if our colleagues find fewer violations of the rules in the future and the number of traffic accidents decreases “Prevention is always better than repression – that is the meaning of “respect through consideration”. In view of the numerous results, however, there is still a good deal of work to be done.”

Up to 30 police officers were on duty on the control days, including the officers from the bicycle group. Most of the controls were carried out with the support of the riot police. In the fall of this year, renewed control weeks of the “Respect through Consideration” campaign are planned.