Pictured above is an M40 crash scene attended by firefighters from Beaconsfield and their colleagues from Gerrards Cross last year.

12 August 2009

Firefighters from Beaconsfield Fire Station are staging a road safety day at the new “Extra” service area near junction 2 of the M40 next week. It will run from 9.30am to 4pm on Thursday (20 August).

They are aiming to pass on potentially life-saving tips to as many drivers and passengers as possible.

The event will include demonstrations at 11am and 3pm of a road traffic collision extrication, in which they will show how they release someone who is trapped in a car after a crash.

Road safety manager Keith Wheeler will be offering to check that child safety seats are correctly fitted, and firefighters will be inviting service area users to ask them questions about road safety.

There will also be a “just for fun” coffee break motorway quiz laid out around the service area, with the answers available by the crew’s fire engine.

Road safety is one of the key strands in Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Integrated Risk Management Plan 2009-2012 – its blueprint for helping keep people safe from harm.

Crew Manager Steve Howard from White Watch at Beaconsfield Fire Station said: “As well as addressing one of the organisation’s safety priorities, we are also running this event because of the number of incidents we are called to on the M40.

“We want to do what we can to help reduce the number of collisions on this stretch of the motorway.

“Motorways are safe places when people drive carefully – the danger starts when you drive too fast when it’s wet, or if you drive when you are tired, for example.

“We still talk to people who think that motorways have ‘slow’ and ‘fast’ lanes rather than lanes that you overtake in before moving back over.”

Steve and his colleagues will also be passing on information about what to do if your vehicle breaks down while you are driving on a motorway, and what to do if you are caught up in a tailback.

Travellers interested in fire safety advice will also be catered for – firefighters will have a range of literature available.

The service area, which opened in March this year, can be accessed from the M40 and the A355.

Steve said: "We look forward to welcoming as many people as possible, having a chat with them and helping make sure they have a safe journey."