Transport firms have been urged to tighten up their safety procedures to cut down on the amount of accidents involving trucks and cyclists. Building materials firm Cemex, which introduced a range of measures last year as part of its cycling safety campaign, has called on other firms to follow its lead. A spokeswoman for Cemex says: "Certainly we would urge all hauliers and transport companies to look at their procedures and do all they can to minimise accidents. These types of measures could help
prevent more deaths on the road, as well as costly legal proceedings."
Its safety systems include:
Additional nearside mirrors fitted to all 1,500 cement mixers, tankers and tippers owned by the company or operated by contractors in company livery within the UK.
Signs fitted to the rear nearside corner of all haulage vehicles owned by the company or operated by contractors in company livery, warning cyclists of the danger of passing along the inside of vehicles.
Additional 'Caution Keep Clear' signs fitted to the nearside of cement mixers operating in London and to new vehicles.
Cement mixers and tippers operating in London fitted with proximity sensors on the nearside. These are operational when the left-turn indicator is activated and give a verbal warning to cyclists should they attempt to pass on the nearside, and an audible alarm for the driver.
The issue was highlighted in an ITV1 documentary last Friday (21 March): Death
By Lorry, which featured an experiment to see how many cyclists could surround a truck without the driving spotting them in his mirrors - the answer was eight. However, as of next year, it will be compulsory for all trucks registered after 2000 to have an extra blindspot mirror under EU legislation. The new Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act also comes into force on 6 April, creat-ing the offence of corporate manslaughter.
Under the new Act, focus will be shifted away from the current need to prove a single director or senior manager guilty of serious personal neglect. Instead, the spotlight will fall largely on systematic failings, probably from collective serious errors by a company's senior management. Stephen Kirkbright, of law firm Ford and Warren, says: "The more your procedures are beyond criticism, the better. That sort of thing is to be applauded and I will say to my other clients, think about this, it will put you in a better position."
