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26 November 2010
More than 6,000 young people and residents from across the north east attended a hard hitting road safety show in Aberdeen earlier this month.
Senior secondary school pupils from across Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray packed into Aberdeen’s Beach Ballroom to see the Safe Drive Stay Alive show.
The initiative, which is in its sixth year, aims to address the number of accidents on our roads and reinforce the importance of driving safely to young people through a provocative show.
More than 600 people attended the public session of the Safe Drive Stay Alive show on Wednesday, November 3 a further 5,500 senior pupils from across the Grampian area were at shows throughout the week.
Safe Drive Stay Alive shows a film re-enactment of a fatal car crash and its effects.
It is interspersed with real commentary from members of the emergency services, parents of young people involved in accidents and accident survivor Trevor Eakin.
The scene which showed Trevor speaking about his life in a wheelchair after an accident where he was hit by a driver whilst on his motorbike was especially thought provoking.
Those departing from the beach ballroom after the show were faced with a smashed car and the flashing blue lights of a fire engine as the emergency services displayed a vehicle salvaged from a real crash – a lasting image to encourage young people to stay alive on Grampian’s roads.
Inverurie Academy pupil Sarah Adams, 15, attended Safe Drive Stay Alive with her classmates. “I was overwhelmed by the show,” she said. “I still want to learn to drive and I now realise that driving is a huge responsibility.
“The people in the show who had the biggest impact on me were Trevor and the driving instructor. I will never forget what they said and how one single mistake had a devastating effect on both of their lives.”
Sarah’s mother, Susan Adams, 42, from Burnside of Manar, Inverurie, also attended the public show at the Beach Ballroom.
She said: “Safe Drive Stay Alive is a fantastic show and I came out of it full of admiration for the cast.
“The video of Trevor was just as effective as if he was actually in the room and the driving instructor was so brave to stand there and tell everyone such a touching, personal story.
“I, like most of those round me, came out with tears running down my face and now that my own daughter is in 5th year I can fully understand and appreciate the benefits of the show.
“My daughter came and spoke to me at length about how she felt and it clearly had a huge impact on her.
“I was also really keen to see the new film and I have to say I was hugely impressed with the quality and content, it was a simple story which everyone could identify with and that is what makes it so real. The organisers did a great job and I hope SDSA continues for many, many years.”
In 2009 there were 28 fatal collisions in the Grampian area resulting in 31 fatalities. Ten were within the 17-25 age group, which is 32% of the total.
There were also 345 people seriously injured of which 96 were in the 17-25 age group which is 28% of the total.
Chair of Community Planning Board, councillor Anne Robertson, said: “Safe Drive Stay Alive is a fantastic initiative and a good example of community planning in action.
“The project sees public agencies, volunteers and private companies working together to help to address a serious road safety concern within all our communities and aims to reduce the loss of life.”
Safe Drive Stay Alive is sponsored by ExxonMobil, Petrofac and Roadwise Driver Training and involves a number of partner organisations working together to improve road safety.
The partners are Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Police, Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Grampian, Aberdeen City Council and Moray Council.
Safe Drive Stay Alive is organised by the Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership with close co-operation and participation by Aberdeenshire Council, Grampian Police, Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Grampian and Aberdeen City and Moray Councils.
More information on Safe Drive Stay Alive can be found at www.safedrivestayalive.org or on Bebo at www.bebo.com/safedrivestayalive
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