Trucks belonging to Caribbean Cement Company Limited (CCCL) haulage contractors used to transport cement will be equipped with cameras and proximity sensors to boost road safety efforts.

The disclosure was made by Supply Chain Manager Angel Rivera during last Saturday’s (November 19) staging of the Vulnerable Road Users (VRU) Awareness Initiative, at the company’s sports club in Rockfort.

“The target is to have 100 per cent of those trucks fitted with the devices. This is an integral strategy focused on road safety,” Rivera said during the event which targeted cyclists from the Elevation Cycling Club from St Catherine.  

The move also aligns globally as CEMEX, CCCL’s ultimate parent company, utilises cameras and sensors to alert truck drivers to potential hazards in a bid to promote the target of zero injuries worldwide.  

Organised globally by the supply chain department, the VRU initiative targets those persons more susceptible to injuries or fatalities while utilising the nation’s roads and include pedestrians, children, the elderly, and cyclists.

During the event, CCCL’s Driving School Instructor and Mechanical Inspector Clinton O’Connor and Accident Analyst and Statistician in the Road Safety Unit of the Ministry of Transport and Mining, Kimesha Dixon, shared ways the cyclists can ensure safety while on the road.

Additional topics covered included how to identify and avoid the blind spots of heavy-duty trucks and to inspect bicycles before beginning their journey.

Meanwhile, statistics from the Ministry of Transport and Mining indicate that, as of November 18, a total of 15 pedal cyclists have been killed in traffic crashes.

Audley Shaw, minister of transport and mining, appealed to the cyclists “to be extra vigilant in their use of the roadways and be sure not to increase the risk of danger to themselves and other road users”.