Global vehicle safety systems supplier Brigade Electronics has become the latest company to support international development organisation, Transaid.
Brigade has been pioneering the cause of vehicle safety since 1976, when it is said to have introduced the first reversing alarm to Europe while exhibiting at the Motor Show in London that year. At the Commercial Vehicle Show held at the NEC in Birmingham, UK this month, Transaid and Brigade announced an initial three-year corporate membership.
The Brigade Group now claims to employ more than 270 people worldwide and maintains a network of specialist distributors, established subsidiaries and partners globally, including a subsidiary located in Guateng, South Africa – Brigade Elektronika (PTY) Ltd. The company utilises technology aimed at making roads and worksites safer for all and says it offers a range of products to both reduce the risk of collision and maximise efficiency, with solutions to suit all commercial vehicle and industry types.
Its latest support follows a bicycle ambulance donation to Transaid’s MAMaZ Against Malaria programme in 2019, as well as support for the Christmas Appeal in 2022.
Brigade’s Managing Director, Philip Hanson-Abbott, said: “For more than 45 years, it has been our mission at Brigade to save lives and make roads and worksites safer for everyone through the provision of high-quality commercial vehicle safety devices that assist drivers and prevent fatalities.
“Therefore, we are delighted to be supporting Transaid and working with them in their essential efforts to improve road safety across Africa. We hope our knowledge and expertise in this field will be invaluable to Transaid in helping them to deliver their vital work. We look forward to being part of the charity’s endeavours and, together, saving even more lives.”
The company joins the list of organisations in the transport and logistics sector, which contribute time, expertise and resources to help Transaid achieve its primary goals of improving commercial driving standards and ensuring people have access to healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa.
Transaid’s Acting Co-Chief Executive Florence Bearman expressed her gratitude for the company’s commitment, saying: “We are delighted to welcome Brigade on board, and look forward to working closely with a company whose vision aligns so closely to our own.
“Both of our organisations are in the business of saving lives – with global road safety at the forefront of our mutual agendas. We are in the midst of the United Nation’s Second Decade of Action for Road Safety, which has an ambitious target of preventing at least 50 per cent of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. We plan to utilise the expertise of our Brigade colleagues in our driver training programmes, so that we can together play our part in reaching this goal.”
Corporate membership is vital to Transaid’s success, enabling it to receive unrestricted funds which are it claims are used to test and implement new projects. Such donations are also said to have allowed the organisation to develop its first road safety projects in Tanzania and Zambia, and led to it securing external funding to build the capacity of HGV and PSV driver training in Uganda.
