“Please Leave Space to Breathe” is a new campaign Manitoba Public Insurance recently launched to educate the public on cyclist road safety.

The campaign is in partnership with Bike Winnipeg and Green Action Centre, and aims to give tips on how both motorists and cyclists can stay safe on the roads by following a set of basic rules.

The primary focus of this campaign is the “one meter” rule; the expectation that motorists allow one meter of distance between themselves and the cyclist.

Aside from this, MPI media relations Brian Smiley advises cyclists to wear reflective clothing, arm their bicycles with flashing lights, identify themselves in the blind spots of vehicles, and use arm signals.

On average 180 motorist-cyclist collisions happen on Manitoba roads each year, and with this campaign, Smiley said he hopes that number will change.

“The ultimate goal is to reduce those numbers, and we can do that by raising awareness and heightening safety among both the motorists and the cyclists. It's very important that both groups share the road responsibly,” he said.

Though cyclists are expected to obey the rules of the road as much as motorists are, Smiley reminds vehicle operators to yield to cyclists the same way they yield to pedestrians.

Other things motorists should be doing, he said, are shoulder-checking and keeping an eye out for cyclists before opening the door of your parked car.

To learn more about cyclist safety you can visit the Manitoba Public Insurance website.