Road Safety Week: Blind Spots
With a significant presence of large vehicles in our daily operations, road safety is not just a priority for us at Shorts – it’s our commitment to our community. Every day, our dedicated team works diligently to keep our cities clean and sustainable, but with that comes responsibility to maintain safety. We recognise the immense influence we can have in keeping everyone around us safe by educating road safety properly. Therefore, our goal is to raise awareness about the potential dangers posed by blind spots on trucks and trailer units.
Understanding the blind spots
Our professional drivers are fully trained and well-acquainted with the dangers of blind spots, consistently exercising caution around pedestrians and cyclists. However, it is crucial that all road users and pedestrians comprehend the significance of limited visibility when sharing the road with larger vehicles. The key elements to accident prevention and ensuring road safety are mutual attention and consideration exercised by everyone on the road.
Larger vehicles have much larger blind spots compared to a car. Identifying where those blind spots are is one of the most important steps to road safety.
A large vehicle’s blind spots:
Starting early: Importance of training for children
Children, being less experienced in navigating road traffic, may struggle to identify dangers. Recognising this vulnerability, it is vital that awareness is instilled about the risks posed by large vehicles. Working towards this aim, in previous years we have taken our blind spot training program to schools – bringing our own truck to school grounds!
We give a brief and simple training presentation on road safety, which is then followed with the children being able to explore and sit in an actual large Shorts vehicle. This exciting and unique experience allows the children to understand first-hand what a driver sees and emphasises the concept of blind spots.
Let’s all commit to being careful, vigilant, and above all, safe on the road. Together, we can create a future where road safety is a shared responsibility, and our children are empowered with the knowledge they need to navigate the streets securely. Together, we can build a future where road safety is a collective responsibility, empowering our children with the knowledge they need to navigate the streets safely.
For more information, visit www.brake.org.uk/road-safety-week
