Safety campaigners have launched a new leaflet aimed at saving cyclists’ lives.

The guide – called Bus Drivers and Cyclists In Harmony – contains advice for cyclists on how to avoid accidents, and tips for bus drivers on how to help cyclists travel around the county’s roads safely.

The information was compiled by Oxfordshire’s two principal bus companies, Stagecoach and Oxford Bus Company, in conjunction with Oxford’s cycle group Cyclox and Oxfordshire County Council.

Oxford Bus Company’s training manager Norman Davies said: “Anything we can do to cut accidents on our roads is important. When you think about the thousands of bus and cycle journeys made every day, the number of incidents is surprisingly small, but even one accident is too many.”

Stagecoach training manager Andy Buckingham said: “Bus drivers realise how important it is to give cyclists that little extra room and it’s important for cyclists to know how they can help bus drivers.”

Cyclox chairman James Styring added: “Nothing scares a cyclist more than a bus passing too quickly and too close. Nothing annoys a bus driver more than a cyclist, at night and without lights, swerving into the bus’s path without signalling or even looking.

“We all hope the leaflet will make a big difference.”

The leaflet addresses the importance of looking and listening on the roads, and the dangers of overtaking.

It also includes a Highway Code questionnaire and useful email addresses. It follows the launch of Bikes and Buses – a DVD commissioned by Cyclox with similar ambitions, and released in June.

Thames Valley Police issued 83 fines to cyclists riding without lights in High Street a week ago, a day after the clocks went back for the end of British Summer Time.

Road safety officers plan to hold more night-time operations during the winter months.

Geoff Barrell, the county council’s principal road safety engineer, said: “While the leaflet is targeted at the whole of the county, we know that the majority of the accidents involving bikes are in Oxford, and many of them are in High Street.

“We hope it will help reduce the number of incidents.”

Copies of the leaflet – launched at the Kassam Stadium last week – can be found at all libraries, most of the city’s cycle shops and on the county council's website.