Cycle safety for HGV drivers
Published Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Lorry drivers have got on their bike to learn about the hazards cyclists have to face on a day-to-day basis.
John Cusick and Scott McDade from Norbert Dentressangle recently attended a training day organised by South Lanarkshire Council along with 63 teachers from 35 Primary Schools across South Lanarkshire.
The day included cycle maintenance, cycling skills, assessing risks, road positioning and manoeuvres.
The training is called Bikeabilty Scotland, the new name for cycle training in Scotland, designed to give the next generation the skills and confidence to ride their bikes safely on today's roads.
The drivers will now incorporate what they learned into their own Managing Occupational Road Risk training for employees.
Scott said: "The training we had was absolutely first-class and really informative from our point of view. It's fantastic that the council are rolling this out to school children, it's so important that they learn how to be safe when cycling."
And John, a Transport Manager with Norbert Dentressangle, added: "The training allowed us to see the situation from the child or cyclists perspective.
"Learning about things like the correct road position to take on a bike helps our drivers because they can then anticipate where the rider is likely to be going and any turns they may be making."
Councillor Graham Simpson, the chair of the council's Road Safety Forum, said: "It was really encouraging to hear how much the two guys got out of the day.
"As a keen cyclist myself I am all too aware of the dangers posed by HGV vehicles on our roads.
"Raising awareness of cyclists among HGV drivers can only be a good thing and I am delighted that the staff from Norbert Denterssangle, as well as our teachers, gave up their time to take part in the training."
