30 November 2009

More than 6,000 sixth-formers and college students attended performances of a potentially life-saving film and theatre production, Safe Drive Stay Alive, in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes this month. The final one was held in High Wycombe on Friday.

The presentations explore the circumstances that can lead to a car crash and the consequences that follow. More than 2,800 young people saw the four performances at stadium:mk in Milton Keynes, and 3,600 saw the four performances at the Wycombe Swan Theatre.

The central theme is a film showing a group of young people involved in a collision on a night out. As the events unfold and members of the emergency services arrive on scene, real people step out on to the stage.

While the film is freeze-framed, the police officer, paramedic, firefighter or accident and emergency consultant then talks about what happens in real life, along with the medical implications and how seeing such trauma affects them personally.

The campaign is run by Thames Valley Police, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service, Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service, Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service, South Central Ambulance Service, hospital accident and emergency staff, road safety officers and the Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership.

Presentations included input from Watch Manager John Robinson from Buckingham Fire Station and Watch Manager Chris Firmin from Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s training school in Haddenham, and parents whose children have died in car crashes locally in recent years.

Keith Wheeler, Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s road safety manager, who has helped organise the presentations, said: “Many students were visibly moved by the productions. Hopefully the key safety messages will remain with them and help them to drive safely.”

For more information on Safe Drive Stay Alive, visit www.safedrive.org.uk