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This year’s Road Safety Week starts Monday November 17th,
The initiative started in 1997, aiming to raise awareness about road safety and promote steps that everyone can take to stop needless deaths and injuries year-round.
To mark the start of RSW UK 2014, Cycle Alert is hosting an Exchanging Places event, in conjunction with Nestle and Your Bike Shed in York, to provide people in the region with information on how they can stay safe on the roads as well as the chance to sit in the driver’s seat of an HGV to recognise its blind-spots and learn safer road positioning.
If you haven’t already seen one at a cycle show, Exchanging Places focuses on raising understanding and alleviating the risks posed by HGVs coming into contact with cyclists and pedestrians. Looking at the driver’s vantage point, members of the public are invited to sit high up in the cab for a visual demonstration of how difficult if can be for a driver to see a vulnerable road user.
Participants can also expect to come away with a host of safety goodies including high-vis clothing and Cycle Alert tags. Cycle Alert will be joined for its launch by a host of Brake volunteers, many of whom have been bereaved or injured in road accidents, and are now dedicated to raising awareness of road dangers.
“Cycle Alert is extremely pleased to be organising this Exchanging Places event in association with Brake and thanks to Nestle and Your Bike Shed for their fantastic support," said Peter Le Masurier, Cycle Alert director. "We hope that by giving vulnerable road users the opportunity to see from an HGV driver’s vantage point, we may provide a platform in which to engage both drivers and vulnerable road users alike on safer road use."
In 2013, five people were killed and 61 seriously injured every day on UK roads.
Brake’s deputy chief exec Julie Townsend added: “We’re delighted Cycle Alert is doing its bit to save lives on our roads by getting involved with Road Safety Week and helping to spread the look out for each other message. Local support for the road safety cause is vital if we are to achieve our goal of putting an end to road deaths and injuries and the terrible suffering they cause. We can go a long way to achieving this if we all commit to look out for each other on roads, especially drivers helping to protect those on foot and bike, who are most vulnerable.”
Mick Thompson, Own Fleet Manager at Nestle, commented: “Nestle is delighted to support Cycle Alert and Brake’s initiative helping to raise awareness for both LGV drivers and cyclists. At Nestle we encourage our employees to cycle to work wherever possible while ensuring safety remains a priority throughout our business so we see great benefit from this campaign. Anything that makes cycling on our public roads safer can only be seen as a good thing.”
Martin Harman and Adele Procter, directors at Your Bike Shed, said: “We think Exchanging Places is a great idea and wholeheartedly support the initiative because in order to improve road safety mutual respect needs to exist from both cyclists and vehicle drivers. What better way to achieve this than swapping roles? Each person can see what dangers are presented and that perspective can only help road users to truly appreciate other road users and accept that drivers and cyclists have a shared responsibility on the road. We hope the event is well supported and look forward to being part of this innovative scheme.”
