EXCHANGING PLACES – MARCH 2023

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership supported West Sussex County Council, at a cycle safety event on Wednesday 29th of March, 12-4pm, at South Street Square, Worthing. The ‘Exchanging Places’ event aims to address the most common cause of serious injury and death to cyclists – collisions involving HGVs. A West Sussex County Council cycle instructor was present alongside SSRPs Programme Delivery Officer, providing face to face road safety messaging and support.

Exchanging Places gives cyclists the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat of a HGV to see how difficult it can be to see a cyclist riding close to a lorry. Experienced road safety practitioners, then explain how this type of collision often happens and the actions cyclists can take to reduce their risk.

Different road user groups really do need to understand one another’s viewpoint. This is both a practical reality and a perfect metaphor. Cyclists need to know how restricted an HGV drivers’ view is from the cab. They also need to understand how pressured and skilfull truck driving is, and that the majority of truck drivers want to ensure everyone’s safety.

HGV drivers need to know the physical vulnerability of cyclists even from the ‘wind tunnel’ effect of a truck going by. They need to understand how intimidating a vehicle at your back wheel can be, or the problems of cycle lane abruptly disappearing.

Driver education and law enforcement have been shown to be the most effective methods of cutting collision rates across all road user groups.

We need to understand one another in order to share the road safely.