Dangerous driving risks driven home for students
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service teamed up with car safety charity BRAKE at Southam College.
They were joined by Jane Marsh, whose daughter Kelly was killed in a car crash when a young person crashed the new car in which they were travelling. Kelly, a passenger, died from her injuries.
Jane delivered a presentation showing images of her daughter before she died as well as talking about the work of BRAKE in campaigning for better driving and safer roads in the UK and the dangers of drink driving.
The roads in South Warwickshire are the county’s most dangerous with more road traffic collisions and fatalities than anywhere else in Warwickshire
Warwickshire Fire and Rescue crews talked about the dangers of driving and carried out a live road traffic collision demonstration, including the extrication of year 10 pupil Ashley Nicholas who played a ‘dead passenger’ to illustrate the consequences. The demonstration was very interactive with the students getting the opportunity to get involved in the simulation. A question and answer session followed.
Area Risk Officer, Mark Styzaker, said: “Over the last year or so, we have gone around Stratford-on-Avon taking this demonstration to as many year 11 students as possible. We feel that they will respond well to the almost shocking itinerary – meeting the family of someone who dies as a result of dangerous driving, seeing what actually happens in a car collision.
“Hopefully this will have an immediate lasting impact on them and make them think twice about getting into a car with anyone who has been drinking or is driving dangerously. With summer holidays coming up, this is a perfect time to be drumming this message home.”
Jane Marsh who is continuing to pass on the message of the consequences of dangerous driving said: “The loss of my daughter had a devastating effect on my family. If what I say here today makes the young people here think twice about getting into a car with a friend who has been drinking then I will have achieved what I set out to do.”
Ian Leggett, a year 10 student of Southam College said: “The demonstration sowed me that it is important to show self-discipline when you are at a pub and you are driving home.”
His schoolmate Asa Jacques agreed, saying: You’d think country roads would be quiet but the demonstration showed us how dangerous they actually are.”