New competition will unite cyclists and HGV drivers

11.30 | 21 March 2012 | | 1 comment

A new competition with a cash prize of £1,000 will attempt to unite cyclists and Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers in a bid to improve cyclists’ safety.

The ‘InTANDEM Road Safety Competition’ challenges participants to design a hazard symbol warning road users of ‘dangerous lorry risk zones’. It has been launched in response to figures which show that fatal or serious injury cycle casualties rose beyond 2,500 in 2011, and that 20% of cycle accidents in London involve HGVs.

The competition is being organised by How’s my driving?, a road safety social enterprise set up in 1995 ‘to reduce the human and financial cost of UK road accidents’. It launches on 31 March and the closing date for entries is 30 April. The prize for the winning design is £1,000.

The new hazard symbol will highlight the danger of a cyclist on the nearside being crushed, if the driver of a large vehicle cannot see them while turning left at a junction. The new sign will advocate extra care when passing a large vehicle on its nearside.

Robert Smalley, chief driving examiner for RosPA and an InTANDEM judge, said: “I think this is an excellent initiative to highlight the extreme care necessary to avoid collisions between lorries and cyclists.”

The competition will also be backed with an online campaign to educate road users on how to minimise HGV-related risks.

For more information visit the competition website or contact Jessica Friend at How’s my driving? on +44 (0) 7791 741725.

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    Nothing beats getting a cyclist to sit in the seat of an LGV and see for themselves how little chance of being seen they face.

    In my experience then, and only then, do they really get it. Everything else (IMO) is tinkering around the edges.


    Pierre, Manchester
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