Success for Telford & Wrekin road safety campaign
The "Kill your speed, not your girlfriend" road safety campaign has successfully targeted motorists and passengers aged 17-24 years across the borough this week.
Telford & Wrekin Council Road Safety Team visited sixth forms and colleges across the borough from 14 – 18 February, warning young men to keep their Valentines safe by driving carefully.
Highlights from the road show included the ‘Pass Plus Extra’ scheme, a course that new drivers can take to become better drivers and the ‘Take Control’ scheme, a rider skills course for motorbike and moped drivers with messages being well received by students.
In Telford and Wrekin, West Mercia Safer Roads Partnership figures show, on average, 17-24 year-old age group account for 32% of all people killed or seriously injured on Telford and Wrekin’s roads. Nationally, male drivers aged 17 – 24 are three times as likely to be killed or seriously injured as a female driver.
Cllr Adrian Lawrence, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said: “Sadly young drivers are hugely over represented in collision and traffic accidents and female drivers are more likely to be killed as a passenger in the car of a young male driver.
“The ‘Kill your speed, not your girlfriend’ has visited schools across the borough this week and the messages about safer driving seem to have been well received by students with a number interested in taking up the Pass Plus Extra and Take Control course. Hopefully this campaign will go someway to making drivers think twice about driving carefully.”
The road show visited students at TCAT, Harper Adams College and New College and included display boards, road safety films, freebie loveheart sweets with road safety messages and information about speeding, being a safe passenger and post-driver training.
