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Illinois Tollway showcases child-sized 'Help Truck Hank' and expands kid-safety outreach at Chicago Auto Show
Summary
At its Jan. 28 meeting, the Toll Highway Authority described a new child-sized, remote-controlled 'Help Truck Hank' used at the Chicago Auto Show to deliver roadway safety messages to children and families; staff reported producing more than 2,840 Kid First safety ID cards and plans to bring the unit to future events.
The Toll Highway Authority, Illinois State, highlighted a new child-focused roadway-safety tool and related outreach at its Jan. 28 meeting.
Artie, the authority's chief of security and safety, described a child-sized, remote-controlled outreach vehicle called Help Truck Hank that the agency unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show to share safety messages with children and families. "We unveiled this new child-sized help truck … to create [an] educational tool that would be used to share safe messages to the youngsters and the toddlers," Artie said.
Why it matters: Authority staff said the display increased family engagement at the booth, helped distribute safety materials and offered a hands-on introduction to roadway work and equipment for children — part of a broader effort to reach families with messages about seat belts, child-safety seats, speed and not using cellphones while driving.
Details and context: According to Artie, Help Truck Hank is about 34 inches tall, weighs about 100 pounds, blinks oversized amber-and-white lights and is operated remotely with a wireless connection that allows an operator to talk with children and engage them. The unit can play recorded songs and deliver short kid-oriented safety messages.
Cassandra, the authority's executive director, said the Tollway staffed the auto-show booth throughout the 11-day event with teams from stakeholder engagement, iPASS on demand, safety, environmental, diversity and talent, and roadway maintenance. "The Chicago Auto Show remains the cornerstone of the automotive community, and we are proud to be a part of it again this year," Cassandra said.
Staff reported producing more than 2,840 Kid First safety ID cards at the event — roughly 1,700 more than the agency said it produced at the previous year's auto show — and said they added two additional ID machines to keep lines down. The authority also said it gave away Tow Away logo bags and iPASS-related assistance to attendees and plans to bring Help Truck Hank to upcoming community events and “touch-a-truck” displays.
Additional outreach and education: The executive director noted the agency will host an engineering-focused event the same afternoon for about 30 Girl Scouts as part of National Engineers Week, describing it as part of efforts to build recruitment and interest in engineering careers.
Ending: Authority staff said Help Truck Hank and associated materials will continue to be deployed at public events to deliver child-focused safety messages and engage families with Tollway programs and services.
