At the end of May, it was announced that the city of Boston will be getting more bike lanes and Hubway bike share stations. Since bicycles are one of the main forms of transportation in the bustling metro, it is important to find safer means for travelers to get around. However, with increased bike lanes comes more precautions for drivers, specifically for commercial truckers who navigate through the city.

Boston plans to add up to 20 miles of new bike lanes, 20 new Hubway kiosks, and potentially install cycle tracks on major roadways from Roxbury to the Public Garden. Also in the works are more divided bike lanes, which separate bicyclists from motorized traffic. In March, officials announced plans to install new warning signs, reflectors, and lane markings along busy streets to keep bicyclists safe following a number of accidents. Boston Police Capt. John Danilecki said most of the recent fatalities have involved large trucks or buses.

What if one of your commercial fleet drivers got into an accident with a bicyclist? This is an incident you don’t want to happen for many reasons. Rather than leaving your trucking company exposed to such risks, you should protect it with fleet insurance. In addition, you should train your drivers to have heightened awareness in the city as well as around those on bikes. Here are some tips to help avoid potential accidents:

• When you come to a stop sign, do not pull out too far. If you do so, you could risk hitting a cyclist by failing to yield or turning in front of an oncoming bike. To avoid this accident, as you approach an intersection, stop with enough room for a bicycle to get by.
• Truckers or even bicyclists who ride without their lights on at night put themselves in danger of a collision. This is because it will become harder to see anything, let alone a cyclist, on the road with no light. To avoid this accident, make sure your truck headlights function properly and stay extra focused on the road at night.
• If your truckers travel to the city often, they may be required to make stops along side streets. Since bicyclists enjoy riding down these smaller roadways, they may be very close to the truck. This is why when opening the commercial vehicle’s door, you should be extra cautious and not swing it wide open. The last thing you want to do is hit a cyclist going by.

At Wolpert Insurance, we these tips help your fleet remain safe on the city roads. As a truck driver and owner of a commercial trucking company, keeping your safety in mind could help you avoid major collisions and injuries.