Insurance Giant Invests in Safety Campaign

Aviva, one of the UK’s biggest names in insurance, has announced plans to launch two safety initiatives aimed at curbing the number of accidents between LGVs and cyclists. The London-based insurer is concerned about the increasing prevalence of cyclist/LGV crashes in Europe’s largest cities. England’s capital is and the very top of the list of such cities.

In order to reduce the number of accidents, Aviva will be conducting both cyclist and LGV driver training at various locations. Training sessions will be separate, concentrating on cyclists in one session and LGV fleet operators in another. Both types of drivers will learn the risks faced by the other and how both can work together to make the roads safer.

Aviva will take the initiative one step further for their LGV fleet customers by funding two improvements for all LGVs they insure. The company will pay to equip the LGVs with new optical lenses and a widely commended decal affixed to the rear left side of the truck. The decal warns cyclists not to get too close while also illustrating the dangers of doing so.

As for the optical lenses, they are fixed to the inside of the passenger side window to provide greater visibility of blind spots directly behind, and below, the cab area. It is hoped the two measures combined will reduce the number of accidents when LGVs are turning left at a junction.

Continued Safety Efforts

The initiatives announced by Aviva are the latest in a long list of efforts among LGV operators, police officials, and cyclist associations designed to curb accidents between cyclists and commercial vehicles. Unfortunately, the majority of traffic accidents involving cyclists in large cities like London also involve HGVs. The size and weight of these commercial vehicles often means a serious injury or fatality.

Everything that can be done to reduce the frequency of these accidents is well worth the investment. As for the cyclist and LGV driver training, it remains to be seen how effective this strategy is in the long run. In the short term however, it does seems to be very effective in alerting both cyclists and drivers to the perspective of the other.

Standard LGV driver training takes into account sharing the road with others in congested urban environments. But there’s only so much that can be done in training sessions focused squarely on helping drivers master what they need to pass their tests. Supplemental LGV driver training in relation to cyclists is a good idea.

At the HGV Training Centre, we are committed to training drivers to be as safe as possible. We offer driver training across multiple disciplines including HGVs, PCVs, forklifts, horseboxes, heavy construction equipment and more. We are even available to assist current drivers or fleet managers meet the legal obligations of the CPC scheme. Remember, all current HGV and PCV drivers must be CPC certified to continue driving. The deadline for HGV drivers is September of next year.