Stay on the Safe Side!

It’s not just cars that are on the roads these days. That’s why ŠKODA, a carmaker which took root more than 120 years ago as a tiny two-man bicycle workshop, has decided to launch a safety campaign to cultivate good road relations between cyclists and motorists.

10. 4. 2019 Lifestyle

The research was conducted over a period of time by ŠKODA’s own Traffic Safety Department experts. They collaborated, among others, with the Czech police, a number of safety-focused sports gear and apparel companies (such as Garmin and POC), and prominent cycling athletes who regularly have to deal with road safety in their personal projects and activities, such as Jiří Ježek, the world-renowned Paralympic cyclist and ŠKODA’s own long-term We Love Cycling e-zine ambassador. They all helped to narrow down and identify the most common problematic situations.

The photos used in this article were taken when the stunts were being filmed.

“We may be a carmaker, but we were born back in 1895 on two wheels because our first product was a bicycle. We sponsor the Tour de France and other cycling races all around the world, we have a genuine passion for cycling, and that’s why we believe we have what it takes to moderate discussions between drivers and cyclists and guide both groups towards better co-existence and responsible road sharing,” says Josef Matějovič, the head of We Love Cycling, as he explains the background to the recent activity.

This campaign dedicated to safety is a natural outcome of ŠKODA’s constant efforts to hone its own products in terms of safety – each existing model boasts a 5-star rating in Euro NCAP tests. On top of that, ŠKODA regularly introduces electronic safety features in its lower-end cars, one case in point being the recent launch of the ŠKODA SCALA, which has been fitted with Side Assist to monitor drivers’ blind spots, together with adaptive cruise control and a lane assist system.