Bicycle safety campaigners have pleaded with motorists to look out for cyclists and pass them with care after a Riddells Creek teen was hit by a car.
Bike Safe Macedon Ranges has also repeated calls to increase funding for awareness initiatives and a feasibility study for an off-road path between Riddells Creek and Gisborne.
Dana Frew said her son Darcy, 16, was riding home on Somerville Lane, near Sandy Creek Road, when he was knocked off his bike by a dirty, white Ford Falcon sedan.
‘‘While my son lay on the side of the road, the driver honked his horn and drove off,’’ Ms Frew said in a Facebook post that has been shared at least 100 times since November 18.
She told Star Weekly that while a majority of drivers respected cyclists, ‘‘there are some idiots out there that think it’s acceptable to play with people’s lives’’.
Darcy suffered some scratches and bruises, but apart from taking a hit to his confidence is otherwise okay.
‘‘We were lucky it was a clear bit of the road,’’ Ms Frew said.
Ms Frew, who reported the incident to police, said it appeared to have been a deliberate act.
‘‘He was on a small side road and he could hear a car coming up behind him quite slowly, so he had a quick look to see where it was,’’ Ms Frew said. ‘‘He figured because it was going so slow, it was going to turn, cause he was near a crossroad.
‘‘He didn’t take too much note of it … the next thing he knew he was on the ground.
‘‘It just makes us very conscious that there are dangers out there on the road, even if your children are very careful.’’
Macedon Ranges highway patrol Sergeant Geoff Neil said people had to be courteous of others, regardless of their mode of transport.
‘‘We’re in an area that cyclists enjoy riding in, and motorists and other road users, generally, share that space,’’ he said.
Bike Safe secretary Amanda Calvert said some drivers weren’t getting the message.
