West Somerset Fire & rescue service to teach our youths the facts of life - and death.
| Published: 12th September 2008 18:07 |
A hard-hitting presentation by the emergency services and road safety experts is to tour colleges in Somerset - in an attempt to reduce the high number of young people being killed and seriously injured on the county's roads.
The students will hear from all those affected by a serious crash, including a victim, the families, the police, fire and rescue officers and paramedics who attend the scene.
The emotive inter-active presentation "Contract for Life" has been produced by the Somerset Road Safety Partnership in conjunction with Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service and Avon & Somerset Constabulary.
A third of all car casualties on the roads of Somerset involve young people. During the past three years 22 people, in the 17 to 24 age group, have died and 226 have been seriously injured, on local roads.
The aim of the presentation is to highlight the consequences of a collision not just for the driver but also for the innocent victims, including passengers, pedestrians and other road users.
At the end, students will be given a "Contract for Life" that they can take away and sign, along with their parents/guardians or friends, agreeing not to put themselves or others at risk by the choices they make.
You are invited to send a reporter, photographer, or camera crew to the official launch of the "Contract for Life" presentation at Cannington College, near Bridgwater, on Friday September 12, starting at 9.45am. A group of young people will be shown the presentation and there will be an opportunity for interviews at 11am.
The event will be attended by Somerset county councillors and senior officers of the Avon & Somerset Constabulary and the Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service.
The "Contract for Life" presentation is based around a graphic DVD depicting a real crash but uniformed officers from the police and fire and rescue service will attend to engage in a conversation with the students about all aspects of road safety.
Dick Bowen, of the Somerset Road Safety Partnership, said: "We hope this campaign will make them think about the possible consequences of their behaviour and the fact that it is not just their own lives which are being put at risk but also those of their passengers and other road users.
"The choices they make in a vehicle, just a few moments of thoughtlessness, could lead to a tragic crash which will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
"We hope they make a pledge - literally a Contract for Life - that they will not behave in an irresponsible way which could put lives at risk."
Group Manager Chris Ellis, of Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, which is actively involved as a partner in the Somerset Road Safety Partnership in line with its mission to make the county a safer place, said: "Road safety is a high priority for the fire service as we deal with what seems to be an ever increasing casualty toll.
"We hope that the hard hitting content of "Contract for Life" and the partnership approach will influence young drivers and make them more road safety conscious."
Superintendent Andrew Pullan, from the Road Policing Unit, added: "With so many relevant agencies taking part in the ‘Contract for Life' initiative, we hope that the students we reach will truly understand the impact that irresponsible driving can make on so many lives. If this campaign changes the way that these students think when out on the roads then that's a massive step in the right direction."
The Somerset Road Safety Partnership was formed by Somerset County Council, police, the fire and rescue service and the NHS, to reduce road casualties through education, engineering and enforcement.
Information about the Partnership and its casualty reduction campaigns can be found on its website - www.roadsafetysomerset.org.uk
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