For the second time this year Northampton-based building products manufacturer Forterra provided an HGV lorry for the CarKraft safety event (12th November 2023), where young drivers were taught road safety skills. This is the second consecutive year that Forterra supported the CarKraft event, which was held at the Porsche Centre in Silverstone.
Organised by road safety group Northamptonshire Highways, CarKraft is a safety event that aims to reduce the number of avoidable road accidents in the wider Northamptonshire area. The event aims to educate young drivers before they take to the roads, giving them first-hand, in-depth experience of common safety hazards, so that once they begin driving they have a firm grasp of safety essentials.
CarKraft events are typically attended by a range of drivers aged 17-30, all of whom get to explore road safety protocols in a variety of vehicles, from lorries such as Forterra’s HGV, to Volvo cars and even Porsches.
At both CarKraft events this year the HGV lorry was driven by Fleet Maintenance Specialist Martin Birkenhead alongside Transport Manager Rory Locker. No stranger to CarKraft, Martin also attended last year’s events, and was once again able to bring his knowledge to share with the young drivers.
The Forterra vehicle was predominantly used to educate drivers on the importance of maintaining a constant awareness of blind spots while driving.
Keith Millard from Northamptonshire Highways, said: “We’re delighted to be able to raise awareness for road safety once again; to have the continued support from companies such as Forterra is extremely helpful in getting this message across. It’s crucial that we teach drivers road safety, so we’re glad to have another opportunity to do so.
“The logistics and transport sectors of our industries are vital to the continuing functioning of the country. Many of the young people who attend this event may go on to support the backbone of our industries. If we educate the future generation of drivers now, we can pre-emptively avoid road accidents in the years to come.”
Caroline Wildman, Marketing Director at Forterra, said: “We believe that events like this are incredibly important. Our drivers are vital to Forterra as a company, and safety of course is a priority. The CarKraft events last year were a huge success and we’re delighted to see that this one has proved just as effective and entertaining for the young drivers attending.”
Forterra consistently promotes road safety, supporting several local events over the years including The Young Citizens Scheme organised by Daventry District Council and South Northants Community Safety Partnership, and a similar event arranged by Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Fire Service and Kettering Borough Council.
