A week-long event at Edinburgh’s Corn Exchange is aiming to reduce the number of young people killed or injured on the capital’s roads.
The Streets Ahead Young Drivers sessions running until 7 September 2012 will attract around 3,000 6th year pupils to listen to first-hand experiences from young victims of road crashes. In 2011, 16 to 25-year-olds accounted for 23% of all road casualties in Edinburgh.
The event covers the key issues of drink-driving, speeding and wearing seatbelts, with attendees taking part in various activities designed to teach them how to lower their chances of causing or being involved in collisions themselves.
The Reporter spoke to Superintendent David Carradice about the message all of the agencies are trying to get across:-
Councillor Jim Orr is the Transport Vice Convener and was there to listen to the presentations and speak to some of the school pupils attending:-
Young people who have been affected by serious incidents are also sharing their stories, and a hard-hitting play, Friends Disunited, will highlight the potentially fatal consequences of careless driving.
Hosted by Radio Forth DJ Mark Martin, the week is being run by Streets Ahead, the partnership between City of Edinburgh Council, Lothian and Borders Police and Lothian Fire and Rescue Service.
Sarah Irvine, who was seriously injured after an accident which occurred when she was at the wheel, said: “One mistake in not putting my seatbelt on during a short journey led to ten days in high dependency and a life changing experience for me. I lost my dream of swimming competitively and my beloved car was written off. My advice would be, no matter how short the journey, or the excuse not to, always wear a seatbelt. Events like these are great to inform young people of what can happen and how things can go wrong in an instant.”
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