Volvo Trucks Gives Safety Tips to Children

As most accidents involving trucks and pedestrians occur due to the driver’s blind spot, Volvo Trucks has partnered with other organizations to teach Danish kids how to behave when there are trucks around. These traffic education lessons are part of Denmark’s "Traffic Safety at Eye Level" campaign that kicked off in 2003.

A study conducted by the International Road Transport Union in 2007 revealed that 60% of accidents in which a truck drives into a pedestrian or cyclist are attributable to the truck driver's blind spot. In half the cases, the accidents took place when turning right. Two-thirds of blind spot-related accidents resulted in fatalities.

"These accidents are very difficult to prevent. That is why we joined forces with several partners to start the campaign and highlight the risks," Peter Andersen, PR manager at Volvo Trucks in Denmark, said in a release.

As the initial training sessions held during weekends at Volvo Truck dealership faced some difficulties, the campaign started coming to schools.

"As a manufacturer, we want to help ensure that this type of accident never happens again. For instance, we have developed a safety system featuring cameras that monitor the blind spot. However, not everything can be solved with technology and driver training. That's why we must actively teach cyclists about the risks. That is our responsibility as a truck manufacturer," continued Andersen.

Since 2003, the campaign contributed to the decrease of the number of accidents in Denmark, from ten a year to just one in 2009.

"When we started visiting schools in 2005, there were many people who doubted whether this was the right method. After just one year, however, we saw that the project was highly appreciated by the schools. That's reason enough for us to continue," Andersen concluded.