Powerful Message for Young Road Users
A graphic message demonstrating the consequences of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol has been delivered to young people in Pembrokeshire.
Targeted at new - or soon to be – drivers, the road safety event ‘Get Smashed’ recreated first-hand the effects of a devastating road accident through sights, sounds and smells.
Young people watched a DVD entitled ‘Could you live with yourself?’ which reflects the crash which killed motorcycle passenger Karen Boulcott in 2006.
In the video her husband, Dr Mark Boulcott, who was steering the bike when it was hit, describes the timeline of events before, during and after the fatal collision.
Feedback from young people suggests the story is particularly powerful because it relates to a real-life accident that occurred in Pembrokeshire.
Welsh Government statistics show that 219 young people aged between 16 to 24 were killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions in Wales in 2018.
The number of children aged under 16 killed or seriously injured in 2018 was the same as the average for 2015-2017 - 80.
The day-long event - staged at Milford Haven youth centre - was the result of a collaboration between the Pembrokeshire Youth service, the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Dyfed Powys traffic police.
Senior Youth Worker, Liz Griffiths of Pembrokeshire County Council, explained: “Statistically, new or inexperienced drivers are more likely to be involved in road traffic collisions that cause death or serious injury compared with older people.
“Our aim, in partnership with the Fire Service and Police, is to reduce these statistics by raising young people’s awareness of how to keep themselves safe, and by demonstrating the consequences of serious collisions on the road.
“The young people who attend this event respond well to the interactive workshops and experience of the graphic effects of a road traffic collision.”