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8 <br /> The Campaign <br /> Three subcommittees were formed to help keep the group on schedule. The first <br /> subcommittee was tasked with listing the specific safety issues we hope to solve <br /> with a county-wide campaign, what the goal should be to effect change in <br /> behavior, what the messaging should be, and which audiences should be <br /> targeted. A summary of the nine areas that were approved by the BSTF is <br /> below. Please refer to the Appendix for the complete descriptions. <br /> I. Motorist and cyclist education was identified as our top priority. Though <br /> norms influence behavior, laws are important for safety. And, in order for <br /> people to follow laws, they need to know them, so education is of utmost <br /> importance. New laws passed by the state are intended to make the roads <br /> safer for cyclists and to allow safer passing, but if laws are not known, they <br /> won't do any good. Education of both motorists and cyclists will require <br /> multiple forms of communication. <br /> II. Responding to EMS, fire trucks, and law enforcement vehicles with <br /> lights and sirens running was identified as another area where education of <br /> all road users is needed. Emergency vehicles need to be able to get where <br /> they are going quickly, and when cars and cyclists do not pull over and stop, <br /> it slows down the emergency vehicles. <br /> III. Better data collection was determined to be important in order to evaluate <br /> the effectiveness of a safety campaign, and was also seen as a beneficial <br /> tool when discussing greenways systems or other infrastructure <br /> improvements in our county. While car counts and car crashes are fairly well <br /> recorded, crashes involving cyclists and cyclists or cyclists and motorists can <br /> often go unreported. Additionally, the number of cyclists using the road is not <br /> known, as data counts of cyclists are just now beginning to be collected, and <br /> only in a few locations. Better data could also lend perspective to the number <br /> and type of users on the road. <br /> IV. Safety equipment for cyclists, and especially lights when riding at night— <br /> is crucial. Bicycle lights are required by law, and are important because they <br /> make cyclists visible to other users of the road. Non-recreational riders, who <br /> use their bikes for transportation and who travel at night, need their bikes <br /> equipped with lights, even when cost is a hardship. Visibility during the day <br /> and encouragement of helmet use were included in this area of discussion. <br /> V. Education and safety in situations with large groups of riders was <br /> discussed at length. When there are large groups of riders out on the road, <br /> safe passing can be difficult, though new passing laws for drivers offer some <br /> help when passing cyclists on rural roads. Although this one issue got the <br /> most discussion time, it was also recognized that it may be difficult to resolve <br /> completely. A combination of suggestions was discussed. Since many of the <br /> large group rides occur on a regular schedule and largely take place on <br /> County-designated bike routes, there may be ways to post routes so <br />