Four out of five (79%) fleet operators think their organisation could do more to raise awareness among staff of the dangers cyclists and motorcyclists face.
The finding comes from road safety charity Brake’s fleet safety survey results with the organisation now calling on fleet operators to be ‘Bike Smart’ by raising awareness of vulnerable road users among their staff and enshrine positive action in their organisation’s policies.
Other findings from the survey, released to coincide with this year’s Road Safety Week and had the theme of ‘Bike Smart’ to raise awareness about the safety of those on two wheels, included:
• One in four organisations prioritised meeting delivery targets over road safety
• More than a third (38%) of respondents believed that the fleet industry as a whole was not doing enough to look after cyclists and motorcyclists
• Nine out of 10 respondents said that in their opinion cyclists could do more to protect themselves on the roads
• Only 36% of respondents thought current mandatory vehicle safety features were adequate and did enough to protect vulnerable road users
• 52% included guidance about protecting cyclists and motorcyclists in their driver education or awareness programmes.
Dave Nichols, community engagement manager at Brake, said: “Every hour, a cyclist or motorcyclist is killed or seriously injured on a British road – each a tragedy that will devastate many lives. Raising awareness about the safety of those on two wheels, who face much higher risk of death and serious injury than those in cars, is absolutely vital. Protecting vulnerable road users and minimising the chance that their drivers will be involved in a crash are two of the most important steps that fleet managers can take towards raising road safety standards.”