On 14 October 2025, Minister Annick De Ridder gave a lesson at the Volvo Trucks factory in Ghent about blind spots to sixth-year pupils at the Sint-Paulus Institute in Ghent. Using a few simple tips, the children were taught a vital lesson about staying out of the blind spot of a lorry. Thanks to the contribution of several strategic partners, TLV has been able to offer the Safe on the Road sessions free of charge for 25 years.
The visit by Minister De Ridder, Flemish Minister for Mobility, Public Works, Ports and Sport, is part of the 25th edition of Safe on the Road, the road safety project of Transport and Logistics Flanders (TLV). Volunteers from the freight transport sector visit primary schools to give children in the fourth, fifth and sixth years tips on how to stay out of the danger zones of a lorry.
The lesson package consists of a 25-minute theory lesson and a 25-minute practical lesson. The young pupils are given simple tips that teach them how to behave safely around lorries. During the practical lesson, the children take their place behind the wheel of a lorry, so that they can experience for themselves what a lorry driver can and, more importantly, cannot see.
Minister Annick De Ridder: “Road safety education is and remains an essential part of road safety. Projects such as Veilig op Weg teach children how to move safely in traffic and thus help save lives. I would like to thank TLV and the many volunteers for their ongoing commitment to making Flanders safer and giving children the necessary confidence in traffic.”
The E’s of road safety
Marc Van Grootel, chairman of the TLV Road Safety Committee said: “With Veilig op Weg, we tick off a few important building blocks for road safety, the so-called E’s. The E for education is the core business of Veilig op Weg. We not only teach young children, but also truck drivers. They too must do everything they can to prevent accidents. It is very good that blind spot prevention is a permanent part of the compulsory refresher training for truck drivers.” Our sector also scores particularly well in terms of E for engineering. Over the past few decades, lorry manufacturers have introduced an impressive range of active and passive safety systems to protect all road users.
TLV has been taking care of E for engagement for 25 years and more, for example by providing young road users with life-saving tips. The various Es of road safety should not be viewed in isolation. As a sector federation, TLV is convinced that all aspects must go hand in hand. After all, this is the formula for success in the joint pursuit of zero accidents.
Strategic partners, free offer
The success of Veilig op Weg is thanks to the contribution of several important partners who strongly support the campaign. TLV is the driving force behind the project, but without support it would not be possible to offer Veilig op Weg free of charge in primary schools. The Department of Mobility and Public Works (Flemish Government), Goodyear, Randstad, Schmitz Cargobull, Schouten Energy, Transport Academy, TVM Belgium and Volvo Trucks can rightly claim a large part of the success of Veilig op Weg.
Over the past 25 years, TLV has visited 2,900 primary schools with its Safe on the Road programme, reaching more than 186,000 young road users.
“Initiatives like Veilig op Weg are at the heart of what road safety should be about — education, awareness, and empathy,” said Dirk Penasse, General Manager of ESPORG.
“Teaching children to understand trucks’ blind spots and respect professional drivers helps lay the foundation for safer roads across Europe and for attracting the young people to work in our industry. It shows how collaboration between authorities, industry, and schools can have a lasting impact on the future of transport and logistics.”
