Cemex promotes road safety with local school children

Building materials supplier Cemex is planning further road safety events for primary school children after the success of its first three sessions at three schools in Rugby, close to its main UK cement plant.

A specialist team from Cemex Rugby visited three local primary schools with one of the brand’s 44-tonne cement tankers.

The team provided an insight and education on the blind spots and hazards presented by HGVs, with 150 pupils were engaged in the activities.

At each school, the children experienced an interactive classroom presentation and colouring activity, before being shown around the vehicle and introduced to various safety features, such as the pedestrian ‘Side Scan’.

The children were also treated to a visual demonstration of the blind spot from the driver’s seat, to help them understand the risks HGVs present to vulnerable road users.

Pupils were asked to line up facing away from the truck with a teacher sat in the driver’s seat. They then attempted to count how many children the teacher could see. Coloured discs were then laid out to visualise this, with the children encouraged to share photos of the demonstration with their parents.

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Finally, the children were thrilled to be given the opportunity to sit in the driver’s seat for a driver’s-eye view. All children were all given child-sized high visibility vests, reflective slap bands, and a fun educational road safety leaflet as mementos of the occasion.

Darrell Collins, Cemex UK driver trainer and assessor, said: “Cemex was very proud to have this opportunity to provide vital road safety education to children in our local community.

“Working with vulnerable road users such as children to ensure they better understand the risks associated with HGVs is something we are passionate about and an integral part of our health and safety strategy.

“Incorporating hands-on activities that enable the children to see from the driver’s perspective are hugely valuable and make a real difference to how they act around trucks when they come across them in real life.

“The success of these events has prompted us to continue this awareness-raising with more schools in the area, with further outreach sessions in the pipeline.”