The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has called for safer roads for cyclists, greater provision in cyclist training and better driver awareness, following the Department for Transport’s annual reported road casualty statistics, published yesterday (26 September).
The figures for Great Britain in 2012 show that, overall, road deaths fell by 8 per cent to 1,754 in 2012. However, the number of pedal cyclists killed rose by 10 per cent to 118, and the number of seriously injured cyclists rose, for the eighth year in a row, to 3,222.
The report follows a proposal from the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and Transport Minister, Stephen Hammond, on 4 September, to remove the most unsafe lorries from the capital.
The Mayor will ask Londoners for their views on whether a substantial ‘safer lorry charge’ should be levied on any heavy goods vehicle (HGV) that isn’t fitted with basic safety equipment to protect cyclists.
A consultation on the proposal, which is partly modelled on the successful London Low Emission Zone, will begin in early 2014. The proposed charge would not cover buses, smaller commercial vehicles, cars or motorbikes.
According to Transport for London (TfL), more than half of all cyclist deaths in the capital are caused by collisions with HGVs and most collisions happen when vehicles turn left at traffic lights or other junctions.
Under legislation, many HGVs, such as supermarket delivery lorries, are fitted with sidebars or low skirts which protect cyclists from being dragged underneath the vehicle and crushed.
However, construction lorries, tipper trucks, waste vehicles, cement mixers and certain other forms of HGV are exempt from these and other safety requirements. Of the nine cyclist deaths involving HGVs in 2011, seven involved construction lorries.
TfL has issued advice for operators of HGVs, which includes:
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leave space at junctions for cyclists;
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stay alert and look out for cyclists, particularly on the left side;
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look out for cyclists when opening doors;
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when turning left always indicate well before the junction and make sure your indicator stays on, even when you are waiting to turn;
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get the best mirror system you can — TfL recommends getting one that includes a Fresnel lens; and
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get a side guard fitted if the vehicle doesn’t already have one, or a side sensor to help you know when a cyclist may be on your near-side.
Research from TfL shows that vehicles without sideguards are involved in a disproportionate number of fatal collisions with cyclists.
Alongside the ‘safer lorry charge’, the Mayor and Mr Hammond also announced a package of other measures to make lorries safer for cyclists, including:
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DfT and the Driving Standards Agency issuing a call for evidence about how driver training could change;
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an expansion of the ‘exchanging places’ initiative where cyclists and lorry drivers swap places to understand what the road looks like from the other person’s point of view; and
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jointly pressing the EU to allow safer designs of new lorries with better sightlines and fewer blind spots.
Head of road safety at RoSPA, Kevin Clinton, said: “As well as boosting the provision of cyclist training and trying to make the roads safer for cyclists, we also need to hammer home the message to drivers to keep their speed down, watch out for cyclists and give them enough room on the road.”
London’s Transport Commissioner, Sir Peter Hendy CBE, said: “For years we have successfully worked with the freight and construction industries to improve the safety standards on lorries on the capital’s streets.
“However there are still some operators out there who are not doing enough to ensure their vehicles are as safe as they can be. These new measures, including a new safer lorry charge, will ensure safer lorries operate in London and potentially more widely across the whole of the UK.”
In response to the Mayor’s ‘safer lorry charge’, the Freight Transport Association (FTA) said it believed there were better ways of achieving safer roads for all road users.
The FTA said that HGV operators were already doing a lot to improve safety by installing additional equipment, training drivers and making changes to the way they operate.
FTA’s director of policy, Karen Dee, said: “Improving road safety is a priority for FTA members and many lorry operators already work to the highest standards.
“We need to see cyclists taking responsibility for their actions, obeying traffic regulations, giving space to HGVs making manoeuvers and generally riding responsibly.”
Lights in reduced visibility ARE a legal requirement under Road Vehicle Lighting Regs.
Helmets are PPE and if you ask a Health & Safety professional, they will telly you that PPE is the LAST control measure you should look at.
Where I drive its a great wonder that far more cyclist are not killed or injured. I am a cyclist, motor cyclist, car driver and small lorry driver and am frequently amazed at the stupid actions of both individuals and cycling clubs, such as no lights, wrong side of road at night without lights, crossing roads relying on hearing for oncoming traffic, riding up the inside of vehicles at traffic lights, specially lorries and riding in large groups blocking road completely and follow the leader.
I totally agree with Barrie’s comments; as an avid leisure cyclist I get really annoyed with cyclists that don’t wear helmets and don’t use lights, especially at the darker times of year – this should be a legal requirement. This doesn’t though, take away from some very inconsiderate drivers that ignore cyclists by not passing with enough space or cutting them up at junctions. I do believe that the cycling proficiency test should be mandatory in primary schools.