Police focus on young and emerging drivers
In November Devon and Cornwall Police is focusing its roads policing efforts on young and emerging drivers.
Road collisions impact significantly on people’s lives and it is stark truth that they remain the leading cause of death for young adults aged between 15 and 24, accounting for over a quarter of deaths in the 15 to 19 age group.
This month police are concentrating on this group to improve attitudes to driving and risk taking.
The primary factors for fatal collisions are speed, drink or drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt, driver distraction and careless or inconsiderate driving. Young drivers are a vulnerable group and Devon and Cornwall Police is raising awareness with this group of the devastating consequences of being involved in a serious collision. These primary factors are the main causes of serious collisions and can all be avoided.
Roads policing Inspector Richard Pryce said: “Distraction can be a key influence amongst young drivers. We find that often this can be through use of mobile devices for social media. Smoking, eating or playing loud music all represent sources of distraction along with peer-aged passengers in the vehicle who can be an added distraction to a young driver’s attention.”
Inspector Pryce continued: “Young drivers must take a responsible approach to their own safety. They should not be embarrassed about insisting that passengers belt up for instance. Nor should they be afraid about clamping down on distractions within the vehicle and we urge passengers to speak up if they feel unsafe if a driver is travelling too fast or driving inconsiderately.
"If you see a driver using a mobile device, tell them to stop. It’s your life they are risking!”
For the last few months the Learn2Live partnership has been making safety presentations to 6th formers throughout the force area. The next two will be at the English Riviera Centre in Torquay on 11th November and at Plymouth Pavilions on 27th November.
Learn2Live is a partnership between police, local authority road safety teams, the Fire & Rescue Service, paramedics, family liaison officers, consultants and family speakers delivering poignant road safety messages from their personal experiences.
Inspector Pryce said: “These presentations leave no room for doubt about the tragic results of serious collisions. Speakers recount their personal experiences to the young adults often in graphic detail, whether that was being first on the scene at a fatal collision as a member of the emergency services, as a paramedic or surgeon who has had to deal with the horrific injuries that are caused by collisions or someone who has lost a loved one in a collision.
“These presentations are very hard hitting, and go a long way to changing attitudes to driving amongst young people.”
The themes of Learn2Live are closely linked to those of another partnership, The Honest Truth, which recently unveiled a Devon and Cornwall Police patrol car wrapped in its distinctive graphics to raise awareness of road safety for the same age group of young drivers. Its central message is that “small changes save lives.”
The Brake charity is also holding it Road Safety Week from 17 - 23 November, with the theme of “Look out for each other.”
www.learn-2-live.org.uk
www.thehonesttruth.co.uk
www.brake.org.uk
