main content The road safety act to stop the reality

Young students from Orpington College were able to get close to the harsh reality of a road crash scene and it’s consequences when a crash reconstruction was held in their car park. The ‘victims’ were attended by the emergency services in this road safety demonstration which focussed on the realities of drug driving.

“The demonstration had an effect in a way that a video or a presentation might not have done. As students from the college were ‘victims’ in the crash, it was even more realistic to fellow students. This is one of the ways we are trying to get the road safety message across to this vulnerable group. Drug driving is becoming more common amongst young drivers and so we wanted to highlight the problem to the age group which is most involved in this sort of crash,” said Angus Culverwell, Head of Road Safety at Bromley Council.

The effects of drinking and driving are widely known, however driving under the influence of drugs whether prescribed or illegal, is not so. Drugs can affect your mind and body in similar ways to alcohol, so it is just as dangerous to drive under the influence of drugs. It also carries similar penalties.

The crash reconstruction involved a car and a scooter where the car passenger received serious injuries because she wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. The scooter rider was not seriously hurt because he had been wearing the ‘correct’ protective clothing. The wearing of seatbelts for car occupants and the wearing of protective clothing amongst powered two wheeler riders are important factors to lessen the probability of injury when involved in a collision.

For more information on how drugs affect your driving visit www.dft.gov.uk/think/dontdrugdrive

ENDS

Notes to editors:

• The reconstruction was held on Monday 19th November 2007.
• In the borough, over the last 5 years, 140 people under the age of 25 were killed or seriously injured as drivers and riders.
• In the 3 years from 2004 to 2006 Coroners’ inquest data has shown that out of 12 car occupant fatalities, 10 were not wearing seatbelts.
• The Council’s Road Safety Unit were working in partnership with BikeSafe, College Driving School, First Car Magazine, the London Ambulance Service, the Metropolitan Police, the London Fire Brigade, the Bromley Young Person’s Alcohol and Substance Service, the London Safety Camera Partnership, Mottingham Motorcycles and Norwich Union.
• After the crash reconstruction, pupils were given the opportunity to visit exhibition stands relating to driving and riding. 

For media enquiries, please contact Andrew Rogers, Communications Advisor, on 020 8461 7670, or email andrew.rogers@bromley.gov.uk

Further information about road safety in Bromley is available at www.bromley.gov.uk/roadsafety