The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has partnered with the Road Safety Authority (RSA, Cyclist.ie and Dublin City Council, to launch the first ever road safety online video.
The aim of the video is to help cyclists and Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers become more aware of each other as they navigate Ireland’s busy roads.
The video was produced to provide an educational resource to Goods vehicle drivers and cyclists on how to safely share the road, particularly in urban areas.
Research has shown that over the period, 1998 to 2008:
• 144 cyclists were killed on Irish roads.
• Of these, 33% were involved in a collision with a goods vehicle.
• 30% of the collisions occurred during evening rush hour.
• The highest number of fatalities occurred in Dublin accounting for 30% of those killed.
Speaking on Monday Noel Dempsey TD, Minister for Transport, wholeheartedly welcomed the video, saying it is a “really useful learning aid for cyclists and HGV drivers alike. We all share our roads, but we can sometimes forget that different types of road users have different characteristics and needs. Cyclists will welcome not only the opportunity to see the challenges that can face HGV drivers in negotiating the urban environment due to the size of their vehicles but also the commonsense safety advice that this video contains. HGV drivers will welcome this reminder of the need to be ultra cautious where there are likely to be cyclists about. And all drivers need to be ever more aware of cyclists as the Government delivers on our policy of securing a fivefold increase in cycling by 2010”
The Minister continued: “This is a very worthwhile initiative led by the Road Safety Authority. But I am particularly heartened by the collaboration that has taken place between the RSA, Cyclist.ie, the Irish Road haulage association, Dublin City Council and my Department in delivering the video. This sort of teamwork convinces me more than ever that Ireland can, and will, work together to deliver not only our cycling targets but a sustainable Smarter Travel future”
The video follows a HGV driver as he travels through Dublin’s busy streets, typical of those found in other major cities and large towns in Ireland. It highlights the concerns goods vehicle drivers and in particular HGV drivers have in urban areas in relation to cyclists, illustrates the vulnerability cyclists may feel when sharing the road with goods vehicles and offers commonsense advice to HGV drivers. It also advises cyclists to be aware of the “blind zone” which prevents HGV drivers of seeing cyclists positioned to the left or close to the front of a HGV.
Noel Brett, Chief Executive, RSA, said: “We are delighted to launch this viral video as it will aid cyclists and goods vehicle drivers to understand the difficulties they face when interacting with each other on the roads. Through this viral video, we hope to encourage them to work together to make our roads a safer place not only for themselves, but for all road users”.
The film is available to download from YouTube and the following websites, Road Safety Authority, Department of Transport, Dublin City Council, Local Authorities, Irish Road Haulage Association, cycling.ie and all cycling club websites throughout the country.
