CYCLISTS are being reminded to use bike lights and reflectors to make sure they comply with the law and can be seen by other road users.

Despite there being a drop in the number of cyclists injured on the roads over the years, not being visible to other road users is still a major factor in improving road safety.

With National Road Safety Week last week, a new campaign has been launched by Local Motion, the Tees Valley’s sustainable transport programme.

The Shining Example campaign, invites people to visit www.dothelocalmotion.co.uk/shiningexample to enter a prize draw to win some great cycling gear, including innovative laser bike lights, a high performance cycling jacket and a rucksack with digital signal display. There will also be 21 sets of front and rear lights to give away.

To kick off the campaign, the Local Motion team and police from the Darlington PSCO team were at Cummins Engine Plant to provide advice to cyclists as they were arriving at work.

“There’s a high proportion of cyclists who don’t use lights or who wear dark clothing, which can be a problem for other road users and cyclists alike,” explained Sergeant Louise Guest from Darlington Police.

She added: “If motorists, pedestrians or other cyclists can’t see a bike on the road, it can result in dangerous swerving or breaking to avoid them. You wouldn’t drive a car without lights, so why would you cycle without them?”

Jenna Hills, Health and Safety Advisor said: “Cummins is happy to work with Local Motion on this important safety initiative, particularly at this time of year. Cummins promotes health and wellbeing across the organisation and takes its environmental obligations very seriously, and encouraging employees to cycle to work is good for their wellbeing and our environment.

“During the winter months, it is particularly important to ensure that cyclists have good visibility and can be seen by other road users.

"We are very grateful that we have been asked to participate in this initiative.”

Campaign organisers are also providing resources to anyone wanting to spread the word about the prize draw, with leaflets and posters available to download from the Local Motion website.