The brother of the late Michele Scarponi has made an impassioned plea for a culture change regarding road safety to reduce the high number of deaths and accidents involving cyclists and pedestrians.
Michele Scarponi was killed near his home in Filottrano in the Marche region in April, just days after winning the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps, as he prepared to lead the Astana team at the Giro d'Italia. Investigations into his death are ongoing but it has been reported that the driver of the vehicle that struck him had been looking at his phone at the time of the fatal collision.
On Monday, Marco Scarponi wrote a moving letter to the Corriere della Sera newspaper in response to an offer from Paralympic hand cycling champion Alex Zanardi to lead a campaign against drivers distracted by using mobile phones at the wheel.
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Marco called for a change of mentality, highlighting that every car user could potentially cause the death of a cyclist or pedestrian.
"Perhaps it's time to leave the car in the garage instead of using it to drive a few metres to our children's school, the shops or the bar," he wrote. "A healthy, sustainable and safe way of life depends on how we use the roads. Whether we like it or not, and as much as we believe ourselves to be innocent, we are all involved and all potentially guilty of a massacre."
Marco revealed that the Scarponi family plan to create a foundation to help improve road safety. "Michele's smile will save many lives," he wrote, concluding his letter.
A moving appeal for better road safety
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