The South Eastern Regional College (SERC) recently hosted the Cool FM Road Safe Road Show.
Hosted by Cool FM’s Pete Snodden, the ‘hard hitting’ road safety campaign from the PSNI uses practical demonstrations and real life scenarios to promote the importance of safer driving and to raise awareness with young motorists about the potentially fatal dangers of being in a car when a driver is distracted or their judgement impaired.
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SERC host Cool FM Road Safe Road Show. The event, held in association with AXA Insurance and Cool FM, took place at the Downpatrick campus of South Eastern Regional College (SERC). Students Erin Curran and Hayley-Ann McShane pictured attended the event with Pete Snodden.[/caption]The show used real life members of the emergency services to tell the story of a tragic night out when Craig, a young 17-year-old driver, has a horrific crash that ended with the death of his girlfriend and his permanent disability. Students also had the opportunity to listen to Lizzie Keys’ story, a victim of a serious car collision who was left paralysed as a result of not wearing a seat belt.
Commenting on the event, Roger Duncan, Head of Pastoral Care and Guidance for SERC said: “The talks and demonstrations in particular were extremely hard-hitting and emotional. They really hit a nerve with our students and made them think – which is what the event was all about. The practical demonstrations gave students a realistic experience of how even a small amount of alcohol can significantly impair driver and passenger judgement.
“The elements of the awareness-raising event will hopefully help to engage our students in considering the role that they have in preventing deaths and serious injuries on the roads. It’s really important to raise awareness of road safety issues and it’s hoped that events such as these will encourage them and their peers to become advocates for safer driving practices.” Continued Roger.
Erin Curran, a student at SERC who attended the event explained: “The talk was very hard hitting and really opened our eyes as to how severe and dangerous these accidents can be. The video was very visual and very emotional to watch. It really illustrated just how easily lives are needlessly lost on our roads.”
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