Past Lorry Danger Campaign

We know there are a high number of construction vehicles involved in collisions with vulnerable road users, these are vehicles used on building sites such as cement mixers or tipper trucks.

For example between 2013 and 2015 – 477 people were killed or seriously injured by an HGV; 40% of these were pedestrians, 25% were cyclists and 35% were motorcyclists. It is believed that around 40 of these were due specifically to construction vehicles.

But there is something that can be done. We want all construction companies to become Construction Logistics and Community Safety Scheme – CLOCS – champions.

Iris’ partner Lidia was killed by a left turning HGV in May 2013. She tells us her story in her own words:

‘The police showed up at my workplace to inform me of Lidia’s death. The whole experience was both surreal and shocking to have police show up to inform you of a loved one’s death.

Shock, denial and then pure  anger, anguish and grief.

I felt total disbelief at what the police said to me, I had to ask them several times if they had the information right, and it was in fact Lidia. I felt shock and denial initially, until it finally sank in. Then pure rage and anger, mixed with grief and trauma.

Lidia was on a 50cc moped on London Road near Forest Hill. There was a HGV carrying copper pipes, making a left hand turn. She was caught in the HGV’s blind spot.
It was the all too common incident of being unseen by the driver making a left hand turn, and Lidia being caught in the blind spots of the HGV.

It completely changed my life and the person I now am. At the time I was consumed with grief and trauma, not wanting to live and wondering how I would go on in life.

I felt broken as a person, as a soul. And it changed all the plans we had for our future.

Now I have a different life, to the one I imagined. I see and treat life so differently now, my attitudes to life have changed.  I don’t make plans anymore, try and live more in the moment. Life is so precious, but also so unpredictable. So now I try and live and enjoy my life to the full, while always honouring Lidia’s memory and her life by living my own to its fullest.

• No driver wants to be involved in a collision – be it fatal, serious or otherwise. This can have serious consequences for them mentally and physically, mean long periods of time off work and possibility even giving up driving altogether. CLOCS helps the construction industry to protect their employees.
• CLOCS future proofs vehicles. Legislation is moving to protect vulnerable road users and there are new legal requirements which operators have to adhere to. For example TFL are rating lorries with the Direct Vision Standard from 0 to 5 star based on how much drivers can see out of their vehicles. Signing up to CLOCS mitigates the risk of having to upgrade an entire fleet as new legislation comes in.
• The safety of vehicles inevitably affects insurance premiums as crashes are less likely to occur.
• Procurement departments for construction projects may increasingly feel more comfortable utilising CLOCS approved contractors as awareness of the scheme rises. For example as more Councils join the scheme they will be encouraged to only use CLOCS approved companies for their construction work