Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Crashes with trucks and vans are mostly caused by the driving style of the drivers.

That is not what Bicycle Dutch thinks, but what is stated on a site of the Dutch national Government. It is clear who the Dutch Government thinks is responsible for these crashes. If you cycle straight-on in the Netherlands, you always have priority over turning trucks. This is the basic rule of priority. But it often happens that drivers of HGVs miss people cycling to their right (legally undertaking the truck or on a cycle path) and that can lead to a so-called “right hook” where a cyclist is crushed by the truck turning right. Because of the nature of the two road users, one with a huge mass and one who is completely unprotected, the consequences of such a crash are very severe, often deadly for the person on a bicycle.Two men on their bicycles wait for a red light while a truck driver makes a right turn. Separate green phases and separate cycling infrastructure makes this safe in the Netherlands. According to that same site by the Dutch Government there are some ways to decrease the number of these particular crashes: “Vehicles can be made safer and the driving style of the drivers can be improved. But infrastructure can be improved as well. HGVs can be banned from urban areas and in city centres deliveries can be allowed only in specific time windows.”

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