PINECREST, Fla. – Officials across South Florida are stressing bicycle safety for riders in the region.
The hope is to remind riders to remain alert by showing them the worst that could happen.
In order to get their message across, officials with the Florida Department of Transportation staged a mock bicycle crash, complete with an ambulance and even a possible victim.
They are hoping to remind both drivers and bikers to always follow the rules of the road.
The mock scene was set up Saturday morning in the Village of Pinecrest.
The selected location, right in front of Pinecrest Elementary School on Southwest 57th Avenue, is an area that is very popular among cyclists and some cycling groups.
“Just make sure the bicyclists also know the rules of the road,” said Pinecrest Police Chief Jason Cohen. “They have to understand that they also have to obey all the traffic laws, stop at the stop signs, the lights, because sometimes it is unfortunately the bicyclists’ fault, and a bicyclist vs. a car, no matter whose fault it is, never ends well for the bicyclist.”
Officers said they spike with more than 100 cyclists in the first few hours of the FDOT campaign and hope to speak to many more before they pack things up around noon.