Cyclist vs HGV Driver is a poor mindset shared by both groups
Whenever we have discussions on Driver CPC Courses about cyclists, which is more often than not, I try to show this video at the end of one of the breaks and follow it up with a series of questions; –
- Who thinks the Driver was at fault ?
- Who thinks the Cyclist was at fault ?
- Who thinks they were both at fault ?
- Did they both have a point – the Driver “You are in left turn only lane”, the Cyclist “You know in London Cyclists will be going straight on”
- Is the Cyclist vs HGV Driver mindset helpful?
I then remind Drivers that one of the main causes of collisions is a mindset, namely ” I’ve got the right of way, I’m going to keep going ” and we have a short discussion on whether that is a helpful mindset to have on the roads today.
I’d ask you the same questions I ask drivers before we resume the course; –
- Where is the Cyclist at the point the Driver prepares to pull away from the lights ? answer – Directly under his Class 5 Mirror
- What could the Driver reasonably expect the Cyclist to do from his starting point? answer – go straight on
- What would we reasonably expect his response to be? answer – give the cyclist room and not put him in danger
Now the last point is based somewhat on personal experience and my opinion of what I believe the driver does in deliberately closing the gap between kerb and truck;
- Despite the rights or wrongs of the other road user, is it ever the right response to put their safety at risk to prove a point?
We believe in promoting positive attitudes toward Vulnerable Road Users in all of our driver training and in getting HGV Drivers to recognise why they have specific additional responsibilities to those road users
If you want to provide your drivers with a different perspective and give them a first class Driver CPC experience we’d be happy to provide you with a quote, please call 01245 847635 or Contact Us for further information