Jet dealer AW&D Hammond in Halesworth welcomed pupils from its local primary school onto its forecourt to mark Road Safety Week (November 21-25), a national initiative run by the road safety charity, Brake. More than 80 pupils aged from five to seven, who attend the Edgar Sewter primary school - which is directly opposite the Hammond forecourt - enjoyed a session of interactive safety-related games and activities. 

Jet is a long-standing supporter of Brake and 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. Pupils were able to climb on board to find out what the driver is able to see from high up in the cab. The children also lined up along the side of the tanker to see 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 Hammond’s, Jet and Suckling Transport went to the school to take to the stage in the hall, engaging in a fun Q&A session to tie in with recent maths learnings and the tanker visit. The children asked questions such as how many cars can one tanker fill, how does the petrol get in and out of the tanker, and how many one-litre bottles does it take to fill the tanker.

Hammond’s forecourt manager Louise, said: “We were delighted to welcome the children onto the forecourt. Safety is Jet’s and Hammond’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 AW&D Hammond got involved with Road Safety Week and helped strengthen Brake’s campaign for safer roads. We’ve 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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