Risk assessment needed for the safety of cyclists

The news that yet another cyclist was seriously injured in an impact with an HGV (Dublin on 23 March 23) serves as a reminder that these impacts should not be happening as they are essentially avoidable.

The key safety issues are the huge mass of these rigs in relation to a 15kg bike and the fatal flaw in the design of the cab, such that the driver’s view is so restricted with its extensive blind ZONES (not ‘spots’ as apologists for these rigs keep uttering).

The European Cyclists’ Federation (of which Cyclist.ie — The Irish Cycling Advocacy Network — is the member for Ireland) tried to lobby with the EU Commission last autumn to have the manufacturers forced to redesign the rigs so as to markedly improve the view from the cab.