Madam, - I refer to Kevin Myers's statements regarding the failure of awareness campaigns to educate lorry drivers, the Irish Road Haulage Association and importers of Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGVs) about the danger posed by the blind spots on goods vehicles to vulnerable road users (An Irishman's Diary, January 27th).
The National Safety Council, the Irish Road Haulage Association and the National Council on Ageing and Older People launched a national safety campaign, targeting both HGV drivers and vulnerable road users, especially older pedestrians, in July 2004.
The aim was to highlight the existence of the "danger zone" or "blind spot" around HGVs, which has been linked to an average of six road deaths every year. A publicity campaign was undertaken and advertising taken out in the national press warning pedestrians and cyclists of the existence of the "danger zone" on HGVs and urging them to never cross the road in front of these vehicles.
In addition, the three organisations wrote to every transport/fleet manager, haulage operator, importer and distributor in the country calling on them to fit simple "Cyclops" or convex mirrors as standard on cabs if they had not done so already. These life-saving mirrors are not expensive and will eliminate the driver's blind spot.
The request to fit these mirrors has been carried out by some companies and they are to be commended. Others have chosen not to fit the mirrors and to wait instead until it becomes mandatory under an EU Directive in 2007.
As well as this national campaign, the National Safety Council was part of a Dublin-based awareness campaign led by An Garda Síochána but which also included other agencies including the IRHA, Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, the DTO and the four Dublin local authorities in May 2005. The aim of this campaign was to highlight the issue of the blind spot on trucks among both hauliers and vulnerable road users.
Further campaigns, targeting both the haulage community and vulnerable road users, are planed for 2006. - Yours, etc,
NOEL BRETT, Acting Chief Executive, National Safety Council, Dublin 6.