Big Trucks and Bikes — Educating Truck Drivers to Save Lives (New Video Series)

       When you’re behind the wheel of a big truck, every decision carries a lot of weight — literally and figuratively. While large trucks make up   just 4% of the vehicles on our roads, they account for 11% of fatal crashes involving people biking. That’s devastating and unacceptable         and it’s a statistic the League of American Bicyclists is determined to help change.

That’s why we’re launching a new educational video series: 

Big Trucks and Bikes. Created specifically for truck drivers, these short videos are designed to increase awareness and understanding of how to safely share the road with people on bikes.

This video series is dedicated to the memory of Sarah Debbink Langenkamp: a mother, public servant, and cyclist who was killed while riding in a bike lane by the driver of a flatbed truck turning across her path. Sarah, a U.S. diplomat, had been evacuated from Ukraine in the summer of 2022 only to be killed weeks later while riding home from her children’s elementary school in Bethesda, Maryland. We honor Sarah’s life and the lives of all those lost by pushing for stronger education, safer streets, and a culture of responsibility on our roads.

About the Series

Big Trucks and Bikes is a three-part educational video series available in both English and Spanish. Each video is about three minutes long and designed to be accessible, informative, and directly applicable to everyday driving. The videos are available for free on the League’s YouTube channel and in the League’s Learning Center, where viewers can take short quizzes and earn a certificate of completion.

The three videos cover key safety topics:

Big Trucks and Bikes: Common Crashes highlights the most frequent types of crashes between trucks and bikes and how to avoid them.

Big Trucks and Bikes: Bike Lanes and Safety explains the different types of bike lanes and infrastructure, and how truck drivers can navigate these spaces safely.

Big Trucks and Bikes: A Safety Guide For Truck Drivers offers practical tips and two simple solutions that can prevent deadly crashes.

Because whether you’re on two wheels or eighteen, we all deserve to get home safely at the end of the day. It’s up to all of us to build a culture of safety, awareness, and respect on our roads. Whether you’re a fleet safety manager, a local advocate, or a concerned community member, we hope you’ll share these videos widely. The more drivers who understand how to safely operate around people on bikes, the safer our roads will be for everyone.

Guest article from the League of American Bicyclists.