As part of our ongoing safety training at Gaskells, our drivers are swapping eight wheels for two throughout the month of March. Each Saturday, they’re sitting the Safe Urban Driving course with BikeRight UK, to highlight vulnerable road users, particularly cyclists. The aim of the course is to make drivers aware of the risks of the road in relation to vulnerable road users and to be able to assess emergency situations to help avoid accidents.The course also offers the opportunity to gain practical experience of cycling on the roads accompanied by BikeRight! qualified National Standards cycling instructors. Part of the day was classroom based, educating our team on how they should drive around cyclists, and also letting them know why cyclists follow certain rules and procedures on the roads.
Another crucial part of the course is the practical side, which involves our drivers saddling up on bikes, and being taken out on the roads, to get a cyclists eye view, and so they can experience how it feels to have vehicles rumbling past them.
Safety is paramount for us and for Bikeright, and as some of our drivers hadn’t been on a bike for quite a while, they were put through their paces in the carpark at their office in Liverpool, before being taken out on the busy Dock Road.
At Gaskells we’re committed to making the roads safer for all users, which is why we feel it’s important to take this course. We’d also like the thank the team at Bikeright UK for making the course thoroughly enjoyable and informative.
Lynne Eatock, Transport Manager at Gaskells said:
“I’m extremely proud of all our drivers, and how they’ve embraced the training. They’re all really enjoying the course and are completely on board with the safety aspect. Our drivers are already highly trained, but we think it’s important to do our bit to improve safety for everyone on the roads. All drivers do have to complete CPC training, this is not a compulsory module, however it’s something myself and the drivers are passionate about. We’d like to say a huge thank you to Alex and the rest of the team at Bikeright.”
We also spoke to Les, one of the instructors on the course:
“This was the best course we’ve run in terms of attitude of the participants, everyone was so positive and willing to learn and one or two drivers even said that they were going to buy themselves a bike after this course which is basically the best thing that could come out of the course. The feedback from the drivers was excellent, with some of them saying it was the best CPC course they’ve attended.”
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