Melbourne bike riders regularly mix it with trucks and know the safety risks of being seen by heavy vehicles.
As works ramp up on major infrastructure projects in the west, Bicycle Network will continue its long-running Swapping Seats campaign to promote heavy vehicle and community safety.
The latest initiative is being run in partnership with Road Safety Victoria, Department of Transport and Planning. A three-hour session will be held at the NAB forecourt in Docklands on Wednesday 15 November, from 7am to 10am.
Participants will be invited aboard a truck to sit in the driver's seat and learn about the built-in safety technologies, what the mirrors and windows can and can't show them, and how bike riders and pedestrians might escape their view.
Next week's session follows a successful safety training day for Suburban Rail Loop Authority staff earlier this year. Nearly 100 staff members took part in truck safety exercises designed to educate them on driver visibility and the challenges of piloting heavy vehicles.
In addition, there will be free coffee for participants, free bike tune-ups provided by Pedal Power Garage and free reuseable travel mugs and bike bells.
It's a great opportunity to experience the vantage point of truck drivers and improve your ability to stay safe around heavy vehicles when riding your bike.
Heavy vehicles and trucks have considerable blind spots, meaning that while professional drivers are highly trained to take great care around other road users, there are parts of the road that their mirrors can't show them.
Swapping Seats was developed by Bicycle Network as awareness campaign to educate riders and develop positive relationships between drivers and vulnerable road users.
The initiative will be running from 7am to 10am on 15 November, so if you're passing through the NAB forecourt in Docklands, be sure to stop by, grab a coffee, and take your turn in the driver's seat.
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