Warwickshire News Mine

It is the first time a member of the fire and rescue service has won this prestigious road safety award.
Station Officer Dave Hewston, based at Coleshill Fire Station, spearheaded the North Warwickshire Area Risk Team initiative with a course for young drivers called “Driving Down the Risk”, working in partnership with Warwickshire Police.

The IAM Dominic Fox Award seeks to acknowledge and celebrate outstanding road safety work, particularly activity that has directly or indirectly contributed to saving lives of young drivers and riders.

The award presentation took place at this year’s IAM National Conference at Dunstall Park, attended by more than 300 delegates from IAM groups across the UK.

The North Warwickshire Area Risk Team created the course and introduced it in response to excessively high levels of road fatalities and injuries among young drivers in Warwickshire. 

“People are 190 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured in a road accident in North Warwickshire than they are to die in a fire in the same area,” said Mr Hewston.

“Although it is uncertain why young drivers should appear in disproportionate numbers in the accident figures, lack of driving experience and poor judgement are key factors.”

With input from the IAM, the course ethos was to show how to do things properly and to teach by example, rather than simply say “don’t do that”.  The course awards day was supported by Land Rover/Jaguar.

“Each year I am sad to say that the tragically high death and injury toll among young drivers continues to feature in the road casualty statistics,” said IAM Chief Executive Christopher Bullock.

“We still feel that it is only through bold, creative initiatives in the education of young drivers that this awful trend can be halted, although there will always be those who feel that restrictions are the only way forward,” he said.

“I am delighted that Station Officer Hewston has been able to make such a valuable contribution and that partnership with others including the Warwickshire Police has been a fundamental part of the initiative.”

IAM Chairman David Kenworthy QPM presented the award which included a £500 cheque for Station Officer Hewston’s road safety work, and a specially engraved silver Armada dish.

Previous winners of the Dominic Fox Award from the IAM were Mrs Sue Wright, a Hampshire woman who ran a pre-driver learner course with UK Youth, PC Nobby Clark from Cheshire, Sam Geddis of Adelaide Insurance in Belfast and Simon Ettinghausen of Bexley Borough Council. The first winner of the award was PC John Spencer of Northamptonshire Police in 2002.

Link to WCC