Jump to main content

News & Events

Home » News & Events » 2018 » September » Dying 2 Drive targets young car drivers – Herefordshire schools are encouraged to attend

Dying 2 Drive targets young car drivers – Herefordshire schools are encouraged to attend

in News

Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service is running Dying 2 Drive 2018 at Peterchurch Fire Station until Friday 21 September 2018.

The hard-hitting campaign targets Y11 and Y12 students in Herefordshire in the years before they can learn to drive a car, to help reduce the number of deaths and injuries of young drivers (17 to 24 years old).

In Herefordshire, in the five years 2013 to 2017, 42 people died in crashes involving young drivers – and more than 2,500 were injured.Eleven fatalities in the county occurred in 2017 from RTCs involving young drivers.

Last year, Dying 2 Drive was attended by more than 3,000 Y11 students across Herefordshire and Worcestershire and the campaign aims to reach even more in 2018.

"Despite the intensive content of Dying 2 Drive, too many young drivers are still dying or suffering serious injuries on the county's roads," said Watch Commander Pete Hope.

"Eleven people died last year on Herefordshire's roads in cars driven by young drivers - almost double the number of deaths in 2016. We hope that all the high schools in Herefordshire will take advantage of this free opportunity to learn important lessons for life and reduce the chance of road deaths of pupils who are able to drive."

Road Safety Team Inspector Adrian Davis of West Mercia Police, said: "The Dying 2 Drive workshops are an impressive and effective series of road safety workshops, we work with our colleagues from the Fire and Ambulance services, and other organisations, to help to educate soon-to-be young drivers with the vital skills and knowledge that will help keep them safe on the road."

Nationally young drivers are at a much higher risk of crashing than older drivers. Although drivers aged 17-19 are only 1.5% of UK licence holders, they are involved in 9% of fatal and serious crashes where they are the driver1.

Dying 2 Drive gives future drivers the opportunity to explore the choices and consequences of poor driving behaviour. Each session takes just over two hours to help them understand the risks of speed, distractions, and impairments on safe driving, via a road traffic collision reconstruction and practical interactive workshops. The bereaved mother of a young driver also shares her experience of losing her 23 year old daughter in a fatal crash.

HWFRS would encourage parents of Y11 pupils to check that their children have been given the opportunity to attend Dying 2 Drive this month and if not, to request that the school books a place, via the on-line booking form.

Ends

Editor notes

1 Source: Brake, the road safety charity

pr015.D2D Hrfd launch.CR.sep18.jaa