School children in Ludham have been given a lesson on road safety as part of a county-wide initiative to drive down the number of deaths on the region's roads.
Norfolk County Council's highways team and its partner, Tarmac, explained their role in the construction of the Norwich Northern Distributor Road (NNDR), currently one of the UK's largest local authority-funded road projects.
Key stage two pupils were given the chance to sit in a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) cabin which is fitted with top-of-the-range safety features including 360° cameras, near-side radar sensors and a range of safety mirrors.
Martin Wilby, chairman of Norfolk County Council's Environment, Development and Transport Committee, said: 'We urge all road users to look out for each other both big and small. It's welcome if these sessions help some of our youngest road users to make their journey as safely as possible by learning some key road skills.'
Arranged with Norfolk County Council's Road Safety Team, which aims to cut road traffic casualties in the county, the visit is the first in a series of planned safety events across the area.
Heather Delf, headteacher at Ludham Primary School, said: 'We really appreciated the visit from Norfolk County Council and Tarmac, who did a wonderful job teaching our pupils about road safety around heavy goods vehicles. The children really enjoyed climbing into the cabins and using the safety cameras but, most significantly, have learned some important lessons about blind spots and the dangers of cycling around lorries.'
Tarmac stressed the safety of road users was paramount.
Justin Waite, transport account manager at Tarmac, said: 'We are committed to contributing to the local community, and are really pleased to be working with Norfolk County Council's road safety team on this initiative to promote safety for vulnerable road users.
'Health and safety is our first priority and as a responsible operator of one of the largest fleets in the industry, we are consistently working to improve standards. It's been a real pleasure to meet the children and talk to them about the importance of safety around HGVs and showing them the latest safety technologies that we use.'
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