Westcotec’s Big Brake

This week is Road Safety Week – the national annual event that aims to raise awareness of the potential hazards of the roads, and ultimately bring down the sobering statistic that five people will die on Britain’s roads today and every day.

Organised by road safety charity Brake, Road Safety Week runs from 19 to 25 November. In recognition of the initiative, Smart Display caught up with its longstanding client Westcotec to highlight the essential work being carried out by the team not just during Road Safety Week, but every week of the year.

As Westcotec’s regular stand builder and installer, Smart Display is also the proud sponsor of Racing 4 Road Safety, the initiative started up by Westcotec’s sales director Olly Samways (pictured right). Beyond his role at the road sign specialist, Olly is a keen amateur racer who uses his Mini Cooper to raise awareness of taking a sensible approach to driving and speed.

“Road safety isn’t an exciting concept for young drivers,” admits Olly. “But I realised that racing and motorsports is a much better way to engage new drivers, and it’s become a means of educating them about reacting to conditions and keeping our roads safe.”

Most recently, Olly took his classic Mini – emblazoned with the Smart Display logo –  out on the streets of Morecambe as part of the first ever Safe Street event. Organised in conjunction with Fresh Drivers UK, the event gave young drivers the chance to put their driving prowess to the test with a full size Formula 1 simulator, as well as admiring Olly’s Mini, in which he has secured eight podium finishes this year alone.

“The event was a huge success,” says Olly. “Exhibitors on the day included National Highways, Lancashire County Council and Lancashire Constabulary. We had a great reaction both on the day itself and afterwards with a lot of online support – it will definitely be returning in 2024.”

Olly’s employer Westcotec is just as committed to raising awareness of road safety, and threw its support behind last week’s Road Safety Great Britain (RSGB) National Road Safety Conference. As the main sponsor of the event, Westcotec headed out to the De Vere Cotswolds Water Park Hotel to host over 400 delegates, in what became the organisation’s biggest event to date in 13 years.

“The event welcomed delegates such as road safety officers, police, fire & rescue officers and academics,” says Olly. “We even welcomed visitors from as far afield as Ireland, Ukraine and Hong Kong, so it was a great way to kick off Road Safety Week.”

Next on the road safety calendar is the Highway Heroes Awards, which will see Westcotec host a table of ten. Taking place at London’s De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms on 30 November, the awards recognise those who go above and beyond their duty to improve a situation on Britain’s highways.

“I was selected as a judge this year and it was one of the hardest decision-making processes I have been involved in,” says Olly.

It’s an extensive calendar of commitment for both Westcotec and Racing 4 Safety, as well as Olly himself. Despite being somewhat of a poster boy for road safety however, Olly has a continued commitment to maintaining his own sense of responsibility when it comes to safer driving.

“I completed a defensive driving assessment course with Norfolk-based firm Drive Alive UK last week,” he says. “It was an eye opener, and it has made me think more about hazards on the road, especially as I am a higher risk driver with an average annual mileage of 30 to 40,000 miles. I will be posting about my experience this week, as well as recommending the course to everyone who regularly drives.”

Smart Display is proud to sponsor Olly and his Racing 4 Road Safety Initiative. We have worked with Westcotec for over five years, and our stand design has become integral to the company’s branding. To find out more about our work, get in touch today.