Road safety engineering company Dawes Highway Safety is raising money for safety charity RoSPA through the sale of a product that aims to prevent vulnerable road users from being caught under lorries.

The firm is offering its clients the opportunity to make a £2.50 donation to RoSPA for each PeoplePanel purchased, which the company will then match fund.

The PeoplePanel – a smooth panel side guard designed to prevent cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists from being caught under lorries – was devised by former Metropolitan Police Sergeant James Dawes, who is the founder and managing director of Dawes Highway, which is based in Andover, Hampshire. Recommended by the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS) and Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS), it fits over existing lorry side guards on both the nearside and offside of a vehicle, in order to prevent clothing or bike parts becoming tangled with the lorry.

Dawes Highway, which has also become a RoSPA member, wanted to support the charity due to the organisations’ shared aim to improve the safety of vulnerable road users. RoSPA, which is currently marking its centenary year, has been active on road safety since 1916, with its campaign highlights including the compulsory wearing of seatbelts, drink-drive and mobile phone legislation, the management of occupational road risk and young drivers. Now promoting accident prevention at all ages and stages of life, among its current campaigns is the Brighter Beginnings Appeal, which is raising money to distribute Keeping Kids Safe packs to young families.

James Dawes said: “I spent much of my front-line police career on two wheels in central London attending collisions between large vehicles and vulnerable road users, which is why Dawes Highway Safety is absolutely dedicated to reducing collisions and helping prevent the most serious injuries when these accidents happen. I am proud to be a member and supporter of RoSPA and my team of road safety professionals are all big fans of RoSPA’s valuable work. As our company continues to grow and our popular products are adopted by responsible fleet operators, Dawes Highway is honoured to have the opportunity to ‘put something back’ and support those who make it their business to protect our communities.”

Rebecca Hickman, RoSPA’s campaigns and fundraising manager, said: “We are so pleased that Dawes Highway is supporting us in our work. Accidents are the biggest preventable killer throughout the majority of our lives, and we know that under-fives and older people at home, and young people at leisure or on the road are at particular risk. It is with the kind support of firms such as Dawes Highway that we are able to continue working to stop accidents that don’t have to happen.”

To find out more about supporting RoSPA, call 0121 248 2082 or email campaigns@rospa.com. For more information on Dawes Highway and PeoplePanels, see www.daweshighway.com.