Supporting Road Safety Week in the UK with hands-on, on-site activities for children

Community outreach project sees CEVA Logistics’ trucks and drivers visit local schools to promote road safety awareness

3/23/2023

As part of our corporate social responsibility commitment, we have launched a series of activities for local children to coincide with Road Safety Week in the UK. (Nov. 15-21, 2021). In the first of a series of three school visits, children were able to get hands-on experience to help them understand the risks and dangers around trucks.

Driver’s eye view for youngsters

Youngsters from Cherry Tree Hill Primary School in Chaddesden in northeast Derby were among the initial three schools who took part in Road Safety Week activities. They were able to climb into a truck cab for a driver’s-eye-view to see what can and can’t be seen (and heard) when driving a large truck.

Road Safety Week is organised by Brake, a leading UK road safety charity. It encourages children to get involved and take action for safer roads. This year’s theme is Road Safety Heroes and celebrates the good work of road safety professionals while explaining how everyone can play a part in making journeys safer. We have also given out a series of awards internally to their own Road Safety Heroes during the week.

Demonstrations and activities deliver safety message

In total, five safety exercises were carried out during each demonstration. Children experienced blind spot education at the rear, front and side of the vehicle. Noise levels were demonstrated so that they understood that drivers may not always be able to hear or see them. Alongside the sessions, the youngsters received some fun activity sheets to complete, a goodie bag and a certificate confirming their participation in the event.

In addition, over 2,500 pupils from other schools across the country who were not able to have a CLASS visit also received Road Safety Week information and suggested activities to carry out at home.

Potential drivers of tomorrow

The day also provided an opportunity for the CEVA team attending to talk to the potential drivers of tomorrow. They were able to simply explain the implications of the national driver shortage to the children and position truck driving as an attractive career path to the youngsters in the future.

Says Paul Farr, managing director for Ground, UK and Ireland, CEVA Logistics: “It’s so important that young people have an early understanding of all areas of road safety. With clear knowledge about what they can do to keep themselves safe, we will further reduce the chances of serious injury or even death on our roads. CEVA Logistics is delighted to have been part of this exciting series of days, and we will continue to play our part in delivering a road safety message to youngsters throughout the year.”