Annual report & accounts 2025-26
Education and training
Road User Awareness Training
Cycling Scotland supports people who drive to understand their responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to others. Our training, funded by Transport Scotland, aims to improve driver awareness of safety for people cycling.
People in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm have the greatest responsibility to reduce the danger they pose to others. This applies most strongly to people driving large goods and passenger vehicles, vans, minibuses, taxis and cars.
In 2025-26, 180 people who drive Large Goods Vehicle and Passenger Carrying Vehicles took part in training to improve their awareness of vulnerable road users, including people on bikes.
This training, which qualifies as seven hours of Driver Certificate of Professional Competence accredited training, includes a practical ‘on-cycle’ element, helping drivers understand how to drive safely around people cycling and other road users. Courses were delivered by our partner training providers including Bike for Good, Recyke-a-bike, East Lothian Council and T French and Sons.
In 2025-26, our fleet driver course for car, van and grey-fleet drivers was evaluated during our delivery with M Group Energy. The infrastructure services provider, which operates a fleet of more than 9,000 cars, vans, and trucks, embedded the training within its occupational road risk training. Evaluation findings showed a positive and lasting impact, with improved staff awareness and attitudes towards vulnerable road users sustained three months after training.
Overall, 370 people completed our fleet driver training. This included 240 staff at Ayrshire Roads Alliance, with plans to expand our work with the organisation.
Our Road User Awareness Training offer extends to young people who are learning to drive, to support development of safer driving habits. Working with secondary schools and our partner network of cycle tutors, we reached more than 4,000 pupils this year, across 42 secondary schools in Scotland. Independent evaluation undertaken this year showed a positive impact on young people’s driving attitudes and knowledge of the Highway Code.
Cycling Scotland’s Road User Awareness Training reached more than 4,700 people in 2025-26, and evidence shows its positive impact on driver awareness of safety for vulnerable road users, including people cycling.
Case study
M Group Energy
For businesses that operate daily on Scotland’s roads, reducing risks and dangers associated with work-related journeys is of major importance.
Kevin Carty is Occupational Road Risk Manager for M Group Energy, a provider of energy-related infrastructure services across the UK. He shared the impact that Road User Awareness Training (RUAT) has had for the business, in strengthening its overall safety culture - including improving its drivers' awareness of the needs of vulnerable road users such as people walking or cycling.
"The training programme has been an incredibly valuable experience. It equipped our trainers with knowledge and resources, as part of our wider approach to managing work-related road risk."
Over the two years we’ve been working with Cycling Scotland, reported driving incidents involving our staff reduced by over a third (37%).
"The impact of the training was evident immediately, with drivers demonstrating noticeably improved understanding of their responsibilities and the importance of safely interacting with vulnerable road users."
"One driver described how the road user training fundamentally shifted their approach, leading them to leave wider passing distances and reduce their speed."
"I would highly recommend this training. It promotes safer habits, and ultimately contributes to a safer environment for everyone."