There are many companies working in large cities that transport goods either by motorcycle or bicycle and national companies tend to use vans and Lorries. With both types of transport there are road safety issues. Obviously the issue with motorcycle and bicycle users is the fact you could get knocked off, with van and lorry drivers they are on the road for long periods of time so would need to be aware of safety issues as well.

There are of course certain responsibilities of both the person driving/riding the vehicle and of the courier company regarding safety. Some of the safety aspects the company and the individual should be aware of and what their responsibilities are include;

• Responsibilities of the company – The companies responsibilities include things like;
• Realistic timings – This means they should not put the delivery times of each item that close together that the courier has to speed on the roads to be able to get there in the required time.
• Correct license – The Company should make sure that all their employees have the correct type of license for the vehicle they are driving. Some companies even like their employees to take advanced driving or motorcycle courses so their insurance premiums will be less.
• Load weight – They should be sure the weight of the goods being delivered is not over a certain weight and there fore dangerous.
• Equipment – The Company should be sure that all employees are equipped with the correct kind of safety equipment whether it be cycle safety if riding a bicycle or lifting safety if they drive a heavy goods vehicle.
• Responsibility of the driver/rider – Their responsibilities involve things like;
• Common sense – This is one of the main values a courier should have as well as a good knowledge of the road safety laws. It basically means they should be aware of other road users and make sure they don’t speed excessively or do anything else that could put them, other road users or pedestrians at risk.
• The rider/driver should be sure not to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol when driving/riding their vehicle.
• Extra training – With new driver/riders they should be confident enough to ask for extra training if they feel they need it, this is so they can be as safe as possible when on the road.
• Training – There are different courses that people can take when working in the courier industry depending on the vehicle they use. There are the driver training courses that can help those using motorcycles and other motor vehicles. Then as well as these there are bicycle safety courses that can be taken that will teach them about road safety and also the equipment they should be wearing whilst riding.