main content Valentine card for your loved one

All 17 year olds across the borough will be receiving a Valentine card this year, only this one is not with the usual message of secret love. Bromley Council’s Road Safety Unit has sent out the cards to schools, which look like Valentine cards, however they have a far more serious message. The envelope reads ‘For my Valentine’ and the card shows a red rose with the words inside reading "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kill you. I was driving too fast. I really miss you."

"I think this campaign is a good idea because the message of ‘stop speeding’ has been ignored so many times. It is important for everyone’s safety that we think about our speed while driving. Think about others as well as yourself," said Ben Cohen, 18, from Hayes school.

"Speed is still a factor in the majority of road accidents, more so than drinking and driving, so we need to keep reminding drivers of the consequences of what is seen as a relatively minor offence. Young people are particularly inclined to speed when there are other people in the car, especially members of the opposite sex! It’s not easy to tell a driver to slow down, however uncomfortable a passenger feels," explained Angus Culverwell, Principal Road Safety Officer at the London Borough of Bromley.

Research shows that the most worrying aspect of driving to young drivers is the prospect of killing or disabling someone they are close to. It is hoped that the cards will have a long lasting, emotive effect on young drivers to help to drive down serious and fatal injuries amongst this vulnerable age group. Additionally, ‘For my Girlfriend’ adverts will be broadcast on five of London's radio stations targeting young people, Kiss 100 FM, Capital FM, XFM, Sunrise AM and Time FM.

For more information please contact the Council’s Road Safety Unit on 020 8313 4546 or e-mail road.safety@bromley.gov.uk. Further information on road safety can be obtained at www.bromley.gov.uk/roadsafety.

ENDS

Editors: For further information, please contact Caroline Townsend, Road Safety Officer on 020 8313 4498 or Andrew Rogers, Communications Advisor on 020 8461 7670.