Following the launch in November 2021 of the Tiger Safety Team, its ‘STOP LOOK BE SEEN’ school road safety programme, Tiger Ted mascot, and its liveried Volvo truck and curtainsider trailer, the team set off on the road on February 3rd to deliver its first potentially life-saving lessons to children at St. Joseph’s R.C. Primary School in Winsford, where around 90 children in total were taught on the day how to stay safe around trucks, trailers, HGVs and other large vehicles such as refuse collection lorries, buses and tractors.
The freely-provided ‘STOP LOOK BE SEEN’ visit consisted of an initial indoor session, held in an assembly hall on this occasion, where Tiger Safety Team’s instructor explained blind spots (or ‘danger zones’), used maths along with animal examples to give the pupils an idea of how long, tall and heavy lorries are and how their stopping distances are therefore massively increased, and engaged the children to think about how to protect themselves and others by questions to draw them out.
Part two comprised each class group going outside to stand up close to Tiger Ted’s orange truck, which gave them the opportunity to appreciate just how large HGVs are. Tiger Safety Team’s driver and other volunteers showed St Joseph’s young learners where the blind spots or danger zones are by means of cut-out mascots and cones, and the children were taught how to cross the road in front of a lorry safely by stopping, looking, listening and making eye contact with the driver before doing so.
The importance of being seen by wearing visible, ideally reflective clothing, of remaining alert and free from distractions such as mobile phones, and of riding bikes and playing ball games a safe distance from roads, was also brought out throughout Tiger Safety Team’s indoor and outdoor road safety sessions at St. Joseph’s, whose year 6 students attended the project’s launch day at Tiger Trailers’ factory in November.
“Year 4 loved their visit from Tiger Trailers and had a great time learning how to be safe on the road. Fun had by all!”, commented one of St. Joseph’s teaching staff, who all benefitted from the road safety lessons too.
Tiger Ted and his Tiger Safety Team crew are set to be very busy throughout 2022, with several other schools in the articulated semi trailer manufacturer’s home county of Cheshire booked in to receive their own visits by the ‘STOP LOOK BE SEEN’ programme. Depending on each school’s access and parking facilities, some will be visited by the trailer and truck together, but in every case, the children will enjoy a special appearance by mascot Tiger Ted, who will give them goodie bags that also help to keep them safe.
To book a free ‘STOP LOOK BE SEEN’ visit for your school in Cheshire, email the Tiger Safety Team on tst@tigertrailers.co.uk and Tiger Ted will be happy to find a suitable date for you.
