Carl Milton, Regional Supply Chain and Logistics Manager, tells us how CLOCS Champions CEMEX are passing on road safety messages through travelling billboards and their driver awareness campaigns.

“CEMEX UK has created travelling billboards on its trucks to pass on the message ‘Don’t Chance it’ to pedestrians as part of its leading campaign on pedestrian safety.

Different types of trucks – tankers, tippers and concrete mixers – are branded with the striking yellow message ‘Don’t Chance it. Look out before you step out’ to alert pedestrians of the potential dangers around large goods vehicles.

We all walk, from the very young to the not-so-young and our roads are very busy.  We want to alert all pedestrians, particularly those who may be tempted to cross immediately in front of trucks in heavy, slow-moving traffic, about the dangers and how to stay safe.

The annual Department for Transport report on personal injury accident statistics on public roads in Great Britain in 2017 showed an increase in fatalities amongst pedestrians of 5%, with 4 times as many fatalities amongst pedestrians compared to cyclists.

Our campaign has come at the right time when pedestrian fatalities are on the increase.  In addition to specific training for our drivers and the additional safety features we have on our vehicles, we plan to brand a further 50 new trucks arriving in early 2019, with the ‘Don’t Chance it’ logo which will soon be on the country’s roads travelling round communities. Hopefully these trucks will make a real difference.

Driver awareness campaigns have also been part of the initiative with School holiday road safety, Clear dashboard and more recently supporting RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents road safety week – Stay wider of the rider.

We are also about to release a pedestrian campaign film aimed at drivers, to highlight key  pedestrian risks and the effect on drivers of having a serious incident.

As part of the campaign, CEMEX has been running a programme of school visits across the UK, promoting the road safety message with a presentation and discussion with the pupils and also gives children the opportunity to sit in the truck cabs and experience the drivers view and awareness of potential blind spots and high risk areas. Our drivers have also found this very engaging and rewarding and we have been encouraging our haulier partners to also get involved in this community educational and exchanging places initiative.”

Carl Milton
CEMEX Regional Supply Chain and Logistics Manager – Aggregate and Asphalt.