“This camera system is as essential as the helmet,” insists Didier Saumon. A member of the Bazas Sports Nature club and a cycle tourist for almost fifty years, the sixty-year-old sees tension rising on the departmental roads of South Gironde. He decided to invest 300 euros in a radar integrated into the rear headlight of his bike.
Cars and bicycles: in Bordeaux, cohabitation under tension, our series
Bicycles, electric bikes, cargo ships: cyclists have never been so numerous in Bordeaux and the Metropolis, their number has more than doubled since 2015. Enough to strain relations between old and new road users, each accusing the other not respecting the rules and taking over the space. Data, reports, interviews: “Sud Ouest” conducts the investigation
“The images are transmitted live to the smartphone placed at the front, on the handlebars. We see like a car reversing camera, several hundred meters away. The radar even detects the speed of the vehicle approaching from behind. » Technological gadget? “It is an essential safety element when driving on local roads. This helps anticipate serious problems. Most accidents are caused by inattentive motorists who do not see cyclists and hit them from behind. »
L. V.
Didier Saumon, from the Bazas Sports Nature club, trains young mountain bikers. Its priority: Road Safety.
Film the plates
This preventive system with integrated position light and camera records video of the route continuously. The images captured make it possible to distinguish license plates. An interesting tool in the event of an investigation. “It would have served me well the day a car sent me into trouble by overtaking me on the road between Auros and Langon. The driver stopped a few meters away, blaming me for breaking his mirror. He punched me, he left. » A few months ago, a drunken motorist drove twice into a group of cyclists from Bazas Sports Nature near the Château de Cazeneuve. “There were no injuries, but we were very scared. »
How can we explain this increase in accidents and altercations? “There are more cars on the country roads. And a lot more cyclists too,” simply notes the sixty-year-old, without excusing the behavior of certain two-wheelers: “Some people ride without lights at night, it’s insane. » The retired firefighter supervises a group of young mountain bikers in Bazas. “I emphasize safety. Because just because you know how to pedal doesn't mean you know how to ride a bike. »
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