That is the key question being asked after the death of a rider on the Snow Road at Milawa at the weekend.

The cyclist, 51, from Rosebud, was piloting a recumbent bike when he was fatally struck by a four-wheel-drive.

It is deeply distressing for the family and The Border Mail passes on its condolences to them and also acknowledges the trauma for the motorist.

Nobody wants to see such tragedies and the community and authorities will be asking the question – 'Was there something that could have been done to prevent the cyclist's death?'

Police have flagged concerns about the visibility of the cyclist through the wearing of fluorescent clothing and his low level to the ground which may have made it difficult for him to be seen by motorists.

But an overarching question centres on why the cyclist decided not to use a parallel bike path?

Surely the safety of riding away from traffic travelling at 100km/h should be enough to encourage cyclists on to the track which forms part of the Murray to Mountains rail trail network.

Some will argue tyres may not be suitable for the track, but why dice with danger in such circumstances by using the road?

A cyclist, regrettably, will always be in a more perilous situation than a motorist when they share a roadway.

That is not to say drivers are blameless in that scenario.

They should be aware of their surrounds and ensure there is adequate space when overtaking cyclists.

The Amy Gillett Foundation has been at the forefront of encouraging greater understanding on the road.

It has supported riders being overtaken being given at least one metre on roads with speed limits of up to 60km/h and one-and-a-half metres for anything over that speed.

Those distances have been adopted as the law in South Australia.

Such regulation puts the onus on motorists to be aware, but thought is required from cyclists as well.

Awareness of risks should be as crucial as steering to motorists and cyclists.