On Monday 22nd August a Met Police Road Safety demonstration will be held between 11am and 2pm in Trinity Square Sutton Town Centre.
The demonstration will explain just how dangerous it is to get too close to large vehicles. Cyclists will be invited to sit in the Drivers Cab of an 9-ton artic tractor unit to gain a drivers-eye view of what can be seen and more to the point what cannot be seen. Juggernauts of this size plus trailer that can be up to 40 feet long and more than a car in width, even with a plethora of mirrors the driver of such a large vehicle has a very restricted view. A specialist Police officer will be on hand to explain the significance and give sound advice. Making cyclists, and pedestrians, aware is not intended to intimidate them but to give sound advice about how to stay safe when close to these behemoths.
It is because cyclists and pedestrians are far more nimble than such large vehicles that they can appear out of nowhere, putting themselves at risk. With some wise guidance this can be averted to mutual benefit, simply making sure that you can see the driver will enable him or her to see you, riding or walking so close that you cannot see the driver means that they cannot see you.
Safer Neighbourhoods Inspector Kathy Morteo has said: “The driver has limited vision to see anyone riding up the inside or trying to cross the road in front of it. I hope people realise from this demonstration how difficult this road safety issue is and how awareness is key. “We urge cyclists and pedestrians not to get too close to large vehicles on our busy roads,” she said.
Officers from Sutton’s Safer Transport Team will be on hand to do bicycle marking to identify bikes should they become lost or stolen and to help them to be returned to their rightful owners.
The event has been planned by the Safer Sutton Partnership Service, which is based at Sutton Police Station and manages the borough’s community safety
