CHILDREN GIVEN A STEER ON ROAD SAFETY DURING INTERACTIVE SCHOOL VISIT

To commemorate Road Safety Week, CPI EuroMix hosted a Vulnerable Road User (VRU) session for children at a nearby primary school.

The event took place at the dry mortar manufacturer’s manufacturing depot in Severn Beach, Bristol, during which pupils atSevern Beach Primary School were given vital advice regarding what to look out for when walking or cycling near large vehicles.

An annual event in CPI’s community calendar, this year’s VRU visit was the first to be held since the pandemic. The fun, interactive programme also includes guidance on heavy goods vehicle stopping distances depending on road conditions and loads. To demonstrate the risk large vehicles pose to cyclists and pedestrians, the children were able to sit in the cab of a CPI HGV to gain a driver’s eye view of the road and sound its horn.

Marc Case, one of five CPI employees to host the VRU event, said: “The children really enjoyed their visit, which was a fun way to address the very serious issue of road safety. Some of the children were barely taller than our vehicle tyres, making them a very vulnerable group when they are out on the roads.”

A Q&A session marked the end of the CPI’s VRU session. To consolidate what they learnt at the event, the pupils were asked to take part in a competition to create a road safety poster. CPI will award prizes for the best entry.   

Marc Case added: “As a company it’s very rewarding to involve ourselves in community-minded projects such as the VRU scheme. In terms of what the children learnt, allowing them to understand the views our drivers have from their cab will help them understand where they need to stand to be seen and be safer. I think many of them were also surprised at the stopping distances, with the distance being much further than they first thought.”

Pioneers of dry mortar systems, including the silo mixing station, CPI EuroMix works with contractors across the country, with the company’s HGV delivery fleets being a regular sight on UK roads.