Twice hit, still fighting: Cyclist calls for accountability on Cape Town roads

CapeTalk's John Maytham chats to cyclist Nicette Millar.

Listen below:

"Many cyclists don't make it home. I've been blessed twice to eventually get home."

- Nicette Millar, cyclist

Cape Town cyclist Nicette Millar has survived not one, but two near-fatal collisions with cars while riding on the city's roads.

These experiences have left her with lifelong injuries, financial hardship, and deep emotional trauma. 

In one of the accidents, she was placed in an induced coma and had to relearn how to walk, talk, and eat. 

Both incidents resulted in serious long-term consequences, including the loss of her home and income.

"No one knew when I would be able to work again, hold down a job. I couldn't pay rent... I am still in huge debt."

- Nicette Millar, cyclist

Yet, in both cases, Millar says the drivers walked away without facing any legal or financial accountability.

Despite the trauma, she returned to cycling, driven by the belief that no one should be robbed of the things that make them happy. 

"I had the belief that no one had the right to take away what I loved, what I enjoyed, and what I found joy in..."

- Nicette Millar, cyclist

But after a second collision – this time at a green traffic light, where a driver misjudged her speed – Millar says she was left bedridden for 90 days for her bones to recover.

"I just remember screaming. I hit his c-bar, into his windscreen and rolled off the bonnet... again, I survived, but I was broken."

- Nicette Millar, cyclist

Even more shocking, she adds, is that there were no consequences for the driver. 

"Things have to change on our roads. There has to be accountability. Through both my accidents, there were zero consequences for the drivers - they walked away scot-free. There was no process... evidently, you have to prove that they did it with malicious intent in the High Court to get anywhere, and who has the money and who has the time... and I was not in any capacity to do it."

- Nicette Millar, cyclist

"The Road Accident Fund is an absolute joke. I'm five years in, with no closure. I've crossed the t's and dotted the i's. I had to go through 11 evaluations, which humiliated me, and put me back into trauma. I've done everything they asked. I don't even have a pre-trial date set yet."

- Nicette Millar, cyclist

Now an outspoken advocate for road safety, Millar is calling for urgent action. 

She argues that without real accountability from both motorists and cyclists, as well as stronger enforcement from authorities, nothing will change. 

"Drivers are too aggressive, too impatient on the road. A stop sign means stop, a red robot means you stop. To cyclists – don't take the chances, obey the road rules. Obey the road rules, there's a reason for it."

- Nicette Millar, cyclist

RELATED:

• Fatal accident on Chapman's Peak Drive: Cyclist killed, two others injured 
• Cyclist in Cape Town killed after crashing into car door and being hit by truck 
• ‘It’s not ideal as the victim’: Driver who hit 2 cyclists gets licence back

Scroll up to listen to the full conversation.