Aviva is launching two road safety initiatives aimed at its Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) fleet customers and cyclists to help reduce the number of incidents involving both groups, thereby reducing the number of cyclist casualties.

The insurer is concerned about the number of serious collisions involving cyclists and LGVs.

In large cities, LGVs are disproportionately involved in such incidents.

For example, in London over the past four years, LGVs have been involved in more than half of the cyclist fatalities, while accounting for less than 5% of traffic.

To help combat this, Aviva is working on two initiatives with the LGV fleets it insures.

Firstly, Aviva will fund the cost to equip LGVs (above 16T) with a widely-commended decal to affix to the rear left-hand side of lorries warning cyclists about the inherent danger of pulling along the inside of a truck, especially if it is turning left at a junction.

The message to cyclists is simply, “stay back”.

Aviva is the first insurer in the UK to finance the cost of this newly designed decal for its LGV fleet customers.

Similarly, LGV fleets insured by Aviva may also benefit from ‘Enlightener’ Fresnel Lenses (pictured)  – a thin optical lens which is affixed to the inside of the passenger window to improve the driver’s view of the major blind-spot areas, directly below and behind cabs on LGVs.

Ian Ferguson, chief underwriting officer, intermediary business at Aviva, said: “This is a critical road safety issue, and everyone has a role to play.

"As a leading insurer, we believe more can be done to improve cyclist safety, specifically involving their interaction with LGVs.

"By helping our fleet customers take a couple of small steps to make cyclists visible to drivers and alert cyclists about the dangers of riding along the inside of a lorry, we hope we can play our part in reversing the shocking increase in the number of cyclists killed or suffering life-changing injuries.”

Aviva’s cyclist risk management initiative is supported by Transport for London (TfL) and is intended to complement other Government-led cycling safety campaigns.

Sir Peter Hendy, London’s transport commissioner, said, “I welcome Aviva Insurance taking these positive steps, which will help to make cycling even safer on London and the UK’s roads.  

"The number of people cycling in London continues to grow and we’re working closely with the freight and construction industries to further improve the safety standards of lorries on the capital’s streets. 

"Through providing these vehicles with the tools to help both drivers and cyclists be more aware of each other, we can further reduce the risks of collision in London, across the UK and Europe as a whole.”

Gordon Telling, director of policy at Sustainable Freight Solutions, said of the initiative: "Too often, cyclists inadvertently find themselves in danger because of their lack of understanding about how large vehicles move when they are turning.

"This combination of measures will both help cyclists to understand the danger zones around large vehicles and help drivers to see those cyclists and avoid them."

 

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