Some 20,000 UK lorry drivers have now completed a Safe Urban Driving course, which teaches them how to share the road safely with vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

The course was designed and launched by TfL in 2011 and was the first accredited course in the UK to include on-road cycle training for HGV drivers to help them see the road from a different perspective.

Safer Urban Driving is incorporated into one of TfL’s Work Related Road Risk contractual requirements, which it said is an effective way for organisations to reduce the risk of their supply chain being involved in serious collisions on the roads.

The course also meets the training requirements for the Clocs and Fors inititatives and counts towards an HGV driver’s 35 hours of periodic CPC training that they are required to undertake every five years.

During the next 12 months, TfL said it plans to train another 4,000 drivers on the course.

Leon Daniels, MD Surface Transport at TfL, said: “Our Safe Urban Driving course promotes more consideration for others while out on the road.

"I’ve been on this course and know how eye-opening and important it is; that’s why we want all lorry drivers operating in London to take part in this type of training and express our thanks to those who already have.”