Last Friday morning I witnessed a potentially serious near miss. As I was driving an HGV along Boroughbridge Road outbound, an HGV in front of me pulled across the road to reverse into Manor Drive North to deliver to the shop there. As he started reversing, a child cycled behind him. The driver failed to see and I lent on the horn. Fortunately the truck stopped and the child, who was astonishingly close to being crushed, carried on.
Afterwards, I wondered how the driver would have reacted to a car horn. I suspect it would have been disregarded as frustration. It would be very easy as another HGV driver to blame the child for ignoring an obviously reversing truck. Actually, whilst it was obvious to me, why would it be obvious to that child?
Have we become too tolerant of HGVs delivering near schools during commuting time? Should every HGV only be reversed with a banksman present, maybe from the shop? All I know is, this was very close to a child dying in front of me and to continue as we are is not good enough.
Clive Matthews,
St James Court,
Leeman Road, York
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