Dunedin resident Larry Nichvolodov said a lot was stacked up against pedestrians and cyclists and more needed to be done to protect them.
Crashes were often seen as being a case of tough luck and without the option to sue, victims were left with little recourse, he said.
The situation was "insane".
He brought up his concerns after an incident which he put down to driver inattention, which nearly involved his dogs.
Mr Nichvolodov said he was cycling up Maclaggan St in central Dunedin last month, when he was hit by a car turning right into Clark St about 6.30pm.
He had four of his seven huskies with him and a bright flashing light on the front of his bicycle.
Fortunately, he was able to twist away from the brunt of the impact and the car missed the dogs.
Mr Nichvolodov’s leg hit the bonnet of the car and he fell to the ground.
Later, he was told by police no charges would be laid.
Many cyclists had been in similar scenarios and often had been hurt worse, which left him feeling despondent, he said.
"Everybody’s been hit by a car, it seems."
While he was a New Zealand citizen who had lived in Dunedin for 15 years, in his native Canada it was a different situation.
He claimed there was a higher standard of care expected from motorists towards cyclists, pedestrians and joggers, particularly as drivers could be sued.
"Here what seems to [happen] is you just deny it and you’re probably going to get away with it."
Ultimately, he wanted the small minority of drivers who were reckless to be held accountable, Mr Nichvolodov said.
"You can’t have people running people over."
