Thames Valley: Road Campaign

12 November 2012, 06:53 | Updated: 12 November 2012, 07:51

More than 5,500 crashes took place in Thames Valley last year - leaving someone killed or seriously injured.

Of those nearly 1,800 involved a driver between the ages of 17 and 24.

Now police are going into schools to show students the affect crashes have.

The Safe Drive Stay Alive start today for the next three weeks at four venues across Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

More than15,000 young people are expected to attend from schools and colleges across the Thames Valley to hear about the affect a crash can have. The event is aimed at new or pre-drivers to educate them about the importance of being safe on the road.
 
Speaking at this year's event will be a young woman who has been left with permanent scars and life changing injuries as the result of a collision. She will be joined by a young man who has lost both of his legs in the fire which engulfed his car following a crash. Thames Valley's emergency services including the Police, Ambulance and Fire Service will speak about what it's like dealing with road incidents where young drivers are seriously injured or killed and which could have been avoided.

Superintendent Chris Brown, head of Roads Policing for Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police Joint Operations Unit said:
 
"Safe Drive Stay Alive is about making young people aware of the many dangers they face and the impact of their actions behind the wheel on themselves, their friends, family, and also the emergency services that deal with them.
 
"Road death is the biggest killer of young people in the UK. Each week, more than two people die and around 180 are injured in collisions on the roads in Thames Valley."
 
Last year 841 people aged between 16 and 19 were injured on Thames Valley roads. On average, three young people per week were killed or seriously injured and around 1 in 4 deaths on the road is aged between 17 and 24.