With 13,000 employees, 9,000 vehicles and over 20,000 items of plant and specialised equipment, M Group provides infrastructure services across the UK and Ireland.
To reduce the risks from work-related journeys undertaken by their employees, the organisation set out to embed Cycling Scotland’s Road User Awareness Training for all their fleet drivers.
The challenge for M Group: tackling road risk
Kevin Carty is the Occupational Road Risk Manager for M Group Energy, and described the company’s approach to tackling road risk:
“As responsible vehicle operators, we take our driving obligations extremely seriously. Incidents involving vulnerable road users, such as people walking or cycling, are among the most serious we encounter. We therefore recognise the importance of raising driver awareness, improving education around safe road sharing, and taking proactive measures to support our drivers to recognise vulnerable road users, how to interact with and pass them safely and to ensure the safety of everyone using the road network.”
Training tailored for a national workforce
The main objective of working with Cycling Scotland was to ensure that every driver within the organisation became more aware of vulnerable road users, ultimately making them safer on the road.
M Group committed to deliver Road User Awareness Training to all drivers across the business, strengthening their overall safety culture and reducing the risk of incidents involving people walking or cycling.
M Group approached Cycling Scotland, who were able to provide a training package tailored to the needs of our national workforce.
Kevin explained: “Cycling Scotland equipped our trainers with knowledge and resources, as part of our wider approach to managing work-related road risk. We delivered a variety of training formats designed to meet the needs of our diverse workforce and this agility has been key to ensuring that the training remains accessible, relevant, and easy to implement across the organisation.”
One driver described how the road user training fundamentally shifted their approach, leading them to leave wider passing distances and reduce their speed.
“The impact of the training was evident immediately”: incidents involving staff have reduced by a third
Highlighting the benefits of the training to the company, Kevin added,
“The impact of the training was evident immediately, with drivers demonstrating a noticeably improved understanding of their responsibilities and the importance of safely interacting with vulnerable road users.
“Longer term and over the two years we have been working in partnership with Cycling Scotland, reported driving incidents involving our staff have reduced by over a third (37%), demonstrating the measurable impact of the training and the value of our collaborative approach to improving road safety."
Beyond the statistics, the personal accounts shared by our drivers also demonstrate the real behavioural changes the training has helped to create. One driver described how the programme fundamentally shifted their approach, leading them to leave wider passing distances and reduce their speed around people walking or cycling.
Evaluating the impact of the training
The training was evaluated through a staff survey immediately before and after delivery, along with a follow-up survey three months later.
Christopher Johnson, Head of Education and Training at Cycling Scotland, describes the evaluation:
“We surveyed drivers to evaluate the impact of the training on awareness and attitudes towards vulnerable road users, as well as knowledge of the Highway Code. Although M Group drivers demonstrated good knowledge when they arrived at training, the results still showed a positive improvement in all aspects, which were then sustained and even enhanced three months after the training.
“This shows the value to fleet operators like M Group of investing in road user awareness training with the most important outcome helping to reduce casualties, as well as supplementary benefits including positive impact on staff, associated business costs and reputation.”
“Even as someone with years of driving experience, I learned things I simply hadn’t fully appreciated before”
Offering his personal reflections on the value of the training, Kevin, said,
“Taking part in the Cycling Scotland training programme has been an incredibly valuable experience. The course provided a clear and practical understanding of the challenges faced by vulnerable road users—especially people walking or cycling—and highlighted how small changes in driver awareness can make a significant difference to everyone’s safety.
“What stood out to me most was how effectively the training demonstrated the impact of blind spots, vehicle positioning, and decision making on the road. Even as someone with years of driving experience, I learned things I simply hadn’t fully appreciated before. Seeing the road from a cyclist’s perspective was eye opening and has already changed the way I approach everyday driving.
“This programme doesn’t just benefit professional drivers—it’s relevant to anyone who uses the road, whether behind the wheel, on a bike, or on foot. The content is engaging, practical, and delivered in a way that stays with you long after the session ends.
“I would highly recommend this training. It promotes safer habits, and ultimately contributes to a safer environment for everyone.”
“This training really emphasised how crucial it is for drivers to understand and check these blind spots to protect vulnerable road users”
Pat Aitken, a Meter Reader with 24 years’ service at M Group, who attended the training said,
“As someone who drives and cycles, I found this course extremely informative. Many people simply aren’t aware of the dangers posed by blind spots—whether they’re driving, walking or cycling. This training really emphasised how crucial it is for drivers to understand and check these blind spots to protect vulnerable road users.
“I would highly recommend this course, even for individuals who don’t drive for a living, as the insights gained would benefit all road users.
“From a company perspective, the advantages of putting employees through this training far outweigh any negatives. The reduction in incidents across the fleet clearly demonstrates its value.”
