Cycles Beware: HGVs

So far in the first six months of 2009, in London alone, 7 cyclists have been killed in collisions with lorries. Following this trend it is very possible that a further 7  people will lose their lives this year from lorry danger.

RoadPeace is founded on the principle of road danger reduction. We believe that the transport system, motor vehicle drivers, owners and manufacturers have a greater duty of care on the roads than active road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.  

This is painfully lacking in the case of cyclists and lorries - where large vehicles with potentially lethal design flaws such as blind spots are legally allowed to travel on the same roads as more vulnerable road users.

RoadPeace believes that more needs to be done to reduce the threat to cyclists from lorries, and that the responsibility for these changes lies primarily with those that design our transport systems as well as vehicle drivers, owners and manufacturers.

Whilst we fully support raising awareness among cyclists and lorry drivers of the danger to cyclists from lorries, we believe that this alone will not solve the problem – the solution lies in designing-out danger at the source; and ensuring that only lorries that meet the most stringent of safety regulations are allowed to operate on our roads.

This year has been a particular problem for women cyclists. While men are three times more likely to be killed in crashes, in collisions involving cyclists and lorries female victims often outnumber male victims. In London, six of the seven cyclists killed by lorries in the first six months of 2009 were women.

What RoadPeace wants

• Safer vehicles
• Safer drivers
• Safer cyclists
• Safer road environment
• Safer systems
• Proper post crash response

What RoadPeace is doing

• Our campaign activities
• Our support services for victims

See also: