Schoolchildren enjoyed a hands-on road safety lesson with a 44-tonne tanker at A W & D Hammond Jet filling station as part of Road Safety Week.
Jet's A W & D Hammond filling station at Halesworth welcomed children from Edgar Sewter Primary School on to the forecourt for a session of interactive safety-related games and activities to mark Road Safety Week, a national initiative run by road safety charity Brake.
Jet is a long-standing supporter of Brake and, with Edgar Sewter school opposite the filling station forecourt, this year's event focused on highlighting the risks to pedestrians when a tanker is making a delivery. A 44-tonne fuel tanker operated by Suckling Transport, one of Jet's transport contractors, was on the forecourt so the 81 pupils, aged five to seven, were able to climb on board to find out what the driver is able to see from high up in the cab. Pupils also lined up alongside the tanker to find out where the driver's blind spot is, and shouted as loud as they could to see whether the driver could hear them with his engine running.
After the visit to the forecourt, staff from Hammonds Jet and Suckling Transport went to the school for a fun question-and-answer session to tie in with recent math learnings and the tanker visit. The children asked some great questions such as how many cars can one tanker fill, how does the petrol get in and out of the tanker and how many litre bottles does it take to fill the tanker.
Louise Hammond, forecourt manager, said: 'We were delighted to welcome the three classes from Edgar Sewter School on to the forecourt.
'Safety is Jet's and Hammonds's number one priority, so events like this are a great way to get the local community involved and to share some really important safety messages. The feedback we've had from the teachers and pupils has been great – the children loved getting hands-on, climbing up into the cab and finding out lots of information about the tanker.'
Dave Nichols, community engagement manager for Brake, said: 'We're delighted Jet and A W & D Hammond got involved with Road Safety Week and helped strengthen Brake's campaign for safer roads. We designed this year's theme to be action-orientated with individuals, businesses, schools and community organisations getting involved, so the tanker safety session is a great example of engaging with a young audience.'
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