Twitter reacts to the Government's 'desperately misguided' cycle safety campaign (video)

It's safe to say that the Department for Transport's road safety arm Think! is getting a bit more flak than it expected for its latest cycle safety advert, with Chris Boardman calling the campaign "desperately misguided".

Think! released a video on Monday morning warning cyclists not to get caught between a lorry and a left hand turn, but cyclists are up in arms at the fact that the lorry in the video appears to be overtaking the cyclist immediately before turning left.

In the 45-second advert we see a series of 'things you shouldn't get caught between', including two butting goats, a falling piano and a Western gunfight, with the final scenes depicting the cyclist getting caught between the turning lorry.

>>> Innovative Mercedes-Benz lorry wins London Cycling Award

The final image of the crushed bike underneath the lorry, leaving no doubt as to the devastating consequences, which Boardman says "tries to make death fun".

Boardman was not the only person dismayed by the new advert, with plenty of Twitter users expressing their frustration at the latest efforts to improve rider safety.

A DfT spokesperson said: “Any death on the road is a tragedy, and all road users have a responsibility to make our roads safer by being more vigilant.

“We want to protect vulnerable road users by raising awareness of specific dangers, and research shows that a large number of road incidents involving cyclists are with lorries at junctions. The THINK! road safety campaign is aimed at cyclists, motorists and HGV drivers, and they all have a role to play in improving safety.”

The DfT indicates that it is also working with the Freight Transport Association (FTA) and Transport for London (TfL) to encourage HGV drivers to take more time to look out for cyclists when turning left at a junction. Statistics show that one third of collisions between HGVs and cyclists come when the vehicle is turning left.