With the regular the movement of heavy loads and plant equipment, GGR’s transport division always ensure that drivers attend regular training sessions to make sure they comply with latest industry standards. In particular, GGR drivers take part in the Safe Urban Driving course, which focuses on driving in urban areas and specifically vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians.

Safe Urban Driving is an essential training course providing HGV drivers with the knowledge, skills and defensive driving techniques to deal with the ever increasing challenges of driving within the busy urban environment. The course introduces various vehicle technologies that are available to detect the presence of vulnerable road users in close proximity of vehicles and help drivers avoid incidents.

GGR’s drivers attend a theory module in the class room and a practical module that takes place out on bikes led by an experienced urban cycle instructor – it is the first and original Driver CPC approved course in the UK to include practical on-road cycle training.

Quoted by Hammersmith and Fulham council “Lorries account for just four percent of London’s traffic but are involved in 1/2 of all cyclist fatalities. The relative size of bicycles compared to lorries means the potential for serious injury and loss of life in a collision between the two is significant. A cyclist is 78 times more likely to be killed in a collision involving a lorry than one involving a car”.

Marlon Elliot, Transport Manager GGR’s Long Crendon depot said “The course gives the drivers an experience on what the cyclists see and impact large goods vehicles have on them, with the opportunity to take a different view on in sharing the road with other road users. It’s a valuable training course for our drivers to attend to ensure the safety of vulnerable road users is never compromised.”