The new Mercedes-Benz Actros that will be used by the Met Police as part of the Exchanging Places cycle safety programme.

Although van blind spots are pretty trivial compared with those that can exist alongside an HGV, awareness of what you can — and cannot — see is an important part of being a safe driver.

Far too many accidents happen in UK cities each year because cyclists get into the blind spots of large commercial vehicles — and then get injured, sometimes fatally.

Of course, other road users, especially cyclists, have a responsibility in this regard too — and that’s where the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) Cycle Safety Team comes in. The MPS team have been running a programme called Exchanging Places since 2007.

Today, the team launched its new Mercedes-Benz truck today, which will be used as a core part of the Exchanging Places programme.

One of the main highlights of this award-winning programme is the opportunity it provides for cyclists to sit in the driver’s seat of a truck and realise exactly how difficult it is to see cyclists who may be slipping down the inside of a truck in heavy traffic.

Collisions involving a heavy goods vehicle are the most common cause of serious injury and death to cyclists. The programme gives cyclists the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat of an HGV to see for themselves how difficult it can be to see a cyclist riding close to the truck. Experienced traffic police officers explain how this type of collision often happens, and talk through several ways of avoiding them.

Police Sergeant Simon Castle, Roads and Transport Policing Command, said:

“The feedback from these events is overwhelmingly positive with 97 per cent of cyclists saying they would change their riding as a result of sitting in the driver’s seat, and 99 per cent would recommend it to a friend.

“I urge cyclists to watch the Exchanging Places film on the MPS Youtube website and also arrange to attend an Exchanging Places event. It is invaluable and a potential life saver.”

More than 15,000 cyclists have taken part in the programme since 2007, which my maths suggests means that 14,550 have understood that their behaviour — as well as that of HGV drivers — is key to keeping them alive and safe.

Here’s the video Sergeant Castle refers to above:

You can find out about planned Exchanging Places events here.

Note: In case you’re wondering, the Mercedes-Benz Actros is funded by Mercedes-Benz and Transport for London and is not costing the Met Police anything except fuel costs. This truck will only be used for demonstrating the issues around cyclist and pedestrian safety, and will not be used for patrols or enforcement.