Cyclist fatalities resulting from collisions with lorries have fallen by 20% in London since the launch of an initiative designed to give cyclists a ‘driver’s eye’ view of a lorry’s blind spots.
Following the launch of the ‘Exchanging Places’ initiative, undertaken by the Metropolitan and City of London Police in partnership with Transport for London, cyclist fatalities resulting from collisions with lorries dropped to 40% of London’s overall cyclist fatalities in 2010. From 2008 to 2009, 60% of London’s cyclist fatalities resulted from collisions with lorries.
Peter Herrington, chairman of the London Road Safety Council (LRSC), said “We are really pleased that so many Londoners are getting on their bikes; it is good for them and good for the environment, but we want to make sure that this increase in cyclists doesn’t result in an increase in cyclist casualties.
“We ask cyclists to follow our survival guide and all other road users, especially drivers of large vehicles, to be aware of – and look out for – the increasing number of cyclists on the capital’s roads.”
The ‘London Cyclists Survival Guide’ offers the following advice; be seen, protect yourself, get trained, and never position yourself between the left of a large vehicle and the kerb.
For more information contact Mark Bunting on 020 8308 7875.
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