Truck visit drives home safety message
Making eye contact with truck drivers, and never stepping on to a pedestrian crossing when a truck is approaching.
They were among some of the lessons learned by children at Stoke primary school in Nelson when the ‘‘Safety man truck’’ came to call.
The truck tour is part of the national ‘‘Sharing the Road with Bigs Trucks’’ programme, developed with sponsors like Heavy Trucks and the Road Transport Association, to highlight some of the ‘‘limited capabilities’’ of trucks on the road.
Children at the school climbed onboard the ‘‘640 Man Truck’’, to get a better understanding of the blind spots for truck drivers, school spokeswoman teacher aide, Melanie Edwards said.
Classroom discussions after the visit showed the pupils had been paying attention, she said.
‘‘The children understood about looking to make sure the truck driver can see them if they’re on their bike, and if they’re going to cross the road, and if there’s no eye contact they couldn’t cross.
‘‘They knew if they had a bike to get out of the way with the draft the trucks have.’’
Stoke School sits on the busy main road in Stoke, but she said children needed to be aware of the dangers on quieter roads too.
‘‘If a truck happens to be in the area, whether it be a furniture removal truck or anything, if children have got that message, knowing what to do around trucks and being safe, it’s going to keep accidents and fatalities down.
‘‘It’s just letting children know how to be safe when they’re walking, and crossing the road, don’t walk out in front of a truck because it takes a long time for them to stop.’’
The safety programme comes ahead of the school’s truck show, an annual fundraiser that includes a classic truck display, remote control trucks and an excavator competition.
The 5th annual event takes places at the A&P Show Grounds on Queen Street in Richmond on Saturday, November 11.