A CYCLING safety campaigner whose life was saved by his helmet has backed an Oxford Mail campaign that he believes will save lives.

From today, readers of the paper will be able to bag themselves a helmet made by Witney-based Oxford Products for just £5.

It comes after nurse Jose Martinez spoke to the paper earlier this year about how he cheated death when he was knocked off his bike and broke his neck last year.

Emergency department nurse Mr Martinez has since spoken to thousands of schoolchildren about the importance of wearing a helmet.

Today he backs the Oxford Mail's campaign and helmet promotion.

He said: "It will be very worthwhile because it potentially will save lives.

"For the past few years in my professional experience I have seen people having little accidents on their bikes that have led to serious injuries because they were not wearing a helmet.

"People should definitely be more aware of what is involved in not wearing a helmet."

The 27-year-old was involved in a horrific crash between Kidlington and Yarnton in February 2016.

He landed on his head, broke his neck, and was rushed to the JR before undergoing 12 hours of surgery.

Doctors have since told him he would be dead or in a vegetative state if he was not wearing a helmet.

The dad-of-two from Yarnton said: "My own personal experience means I am more determined than ever to get people wearing helmets.

"You do not have to be involved in a crash like I was. It might just be winter when the road is damp and there are leaves and you skid at 5mph.

"If you hit your head on the road or the kerb it can have really serious consequences."

Since the incident Mr Martinez has been on a long road to recovery and has to attend physio every week, although he can now walk again.

He has also suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder.

He said: "People should forget about getting messy hair or looking cool.

"It does not look cool having messed up hair but what is worse? Having messed up hair for a few minutes or losing your life?

"Life is far too precious to be lost because you are not wearing a helmet."

CYCLING accident statistics 2016

Oxfordshire (including Oxford)

  • Fatal 2
  • Serious 70
  • Slight 249
  • Total 321

Oxford

  • Fatal 1
  • Serious 25
  • Slight 152
  • Total 178

Oxford Mail:

Earlier this year Mr Martinez, 27, spoke to 2,500 children from across the county at The Cherwell School in Summertown about the importance of wearing a helmet.

He hopes to roll his campaign out to more schools across the city and believes the Oxford Mail campaign can help with his message.

He said: "If one more person wears a helmet because of this then it will have all been worth it."

Simon Belton from Oxford Products said: "Oxford Products is proud to support the Oxford Mail’s promotion of road safety for our county’s cyclists.

"We all need to make sure that this sustainable mode of transport is promoted throughout the county, which means that if we are able, we must try to help keep cyclist from harm – getting riders to wear a helmet is the easiest and most obvious way to help achieve this and for £5, it’s a no-brainer."

To claim your helmet fill in the form below and bring it to the Oxford Mail offices in Osney Mead, Oxford, OX1 4TJ between 9am and 5pm on weekdays. There are 500 helmets available in blue, black and red as well as children's designs available on a first come, first serve basis.