Date: 15th March, 2017
Some 2,000 employees of Network Rail and its sub-contractors are to benefit from a hard-hitting road safety presentation.
Safe Drive Stay Alive (Wiltshire and Swindon) is an initiative coordinated by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service on behalf of partners including Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council, Arval Ltd, Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Severn Major Trauma Network.
It uses powerful personal testimony and dramatic video footage to make the audience aware of the tragedy and suffering caused by road traffic collisions.
Firefighters, medics, police officers, bereaved parents and people who have been directly involved in road traffic collisions recount their stories, often in heart-breaking detail.
Thanks to a new partnership with Network Rail and Siemens, the roadshow will now feature in four Safety, Health and Environment Leadership Team (SHELT) conferences to be held in Reading on 23 March, Bristol on 31 March and London on 16 May. A further event will be confirmed for Newport later in the year.
Ian Hopkins, Road Safety Manager at Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Network Rail staff and their sub-contractors spend a lot of time travelling both within our region and around the country, so the risk of being involved in a road traffic collision is far higher than for someone who only works in an office. As a company, they have a commitment to helping their people be as safe as possible, and we’re delighted to support them in this by taking part in these conferences.”
He added: “The Safe Drive Stay Alive partnership is grateful to Network Rail for inviting us to attend the conferences, and to their conference sponsor Siemens, as they have given us significant funding which will help us deliver our annual road safety programme to Year 11 students across Wiltshire and Swindon during
2017–18.”
Lisa East, Safety Improvement Specialist for Network Rail (Great Western and Crossrail region), said: “We became aware of the Safe Drive Stay Alive programme, and it seemed a really effective way for us to engage with our staff and encourage them to think more closely about their safety on the roads. Our thanks go to the team for being prepared to travel to our sites outside of Wiltshire and Swindon, and I’m sure the roadshows will make a real difference to the attitudes of the drivers who see them.”
Andrew Stringer, Delivery Director (Chippenham) for Siemens said: “We are pleased to sponsor Network Rail’s SHELT conferences and, through this, provide essential funding for Safe Drive Stay Alive which is such a worthwhile education programme for young people and business drivers alike. Hopefully this will help to save lives in the future.”