Date: 9th October, 2019
Students from across Wiltshire will experience a hard-hitting road safety presentation between now and Christmas.
Safe Drive Stay Alive 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.
Safe Drive Stay Alive is a road safety initiative coordinated by Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service on behalf of a partnership including Wiltshire Police, Wiltshire Council, Swindon Borough Council, Arval Ltd and Severn Major Trauma Network.
The aim is for every Year 11 student to see the presentation, and for schools not to be financially affected by supporting this. All transport to and from the venues is therefore provided by the Safe Drive team, and paid for from external funding and sponsorship.
Christine Sharma, road safety manager at Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, explained: “The presentation is hard hitting and upsetting, but we make no apology for that. The speakers are real people who have experienced the horror of road traffic collisions, whether as a member of the emergency services, as a victim or as a parent who has lost a child. It is this truthfulness that makes it so successful. We know that the young people who see this roadshow are affected, and we have seen the number of young people killed or seriously injured on our roads decrease since the programme started. We really do make a difference.”
Safe Drive Stay Alive roadshows have already been held in Swindon and at Dauntsey School in West Lavington, and more will be held for schools across Wiltshire through the Autumn, with further presentations scheduled for Salisbury (9-10 October); Melksham (16-17 October); Hardenhuish School, Chippenham (13 November); Tidworth (22 November); Marlborough (28 November); Devizes (29 November); and Chippenham (4-5 December).
There will also be a number of shows held specifically for military personnel in November, and a parallel programme of shows for schools is being held in Dorset.