Young people learn harrowing consequences of unsafe driving at Safe Drive Stay Alive 2021

Local schools and colleges have recently attended free performances at Middleton Arena to find out more about the Safe Drive Stay Alive project.

Organised by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS), Greater Manchester Police (GMP), North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) and Salford Royal NHS Trust, and supported by TfGM and the Safer Roads Partnership, Safe Drive Stay Alive is a road safety initiative that aims to empower young drivers to make safer driving choices.

Now in its 7th year (with a year lost due to Covid-19), the project is the first of its kind in Greater Manchester and uses real people, including emergency service staff and family members of those killed in collisions, to tell their own personal stories of tragedy and loss.

 

 

From 28 September to 17 November 2021, more than 9,000 young people from across the region were brought face-to-face with the consequences of a road traffic collision at a series of performances at Middleton Arena.

The 'Fatal 5', which comprises of speeding, distraction, drink and drug driving, non-seatbelt wearing and peer pressure, was covered within the performances, as well as an appeal to the audience to be good influences as passengers and to speak up if they don’t feel safe.

While the number of young people killed or seriously injured on the roads of Greater Manchester has gradually fallen since the project started, they are still overrepresented in the overall casualty figures. This is especially prevalent during the first year after passing their driving tests.

In the last 10 years there have been 164 young driver related deaths in Greater Manchester. This figure includes young drivers themselves and people killed by young drivers.

In 2020 alone, 445 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads in Greater Manchester. 67 of these were fatal incidents [data taken from TfGM Casualty Dashboard] and thousands more sustained serious and life-changing injuries.

 

 

Along with mayors and mayoresses from the ten local authorities in Greater Manchester and Rochdale borough councillors, the Mayor of Rochdale Councillor Aasim Rashid attended a VIP Safe Drive Stay Alive performance at Middleton Arena on Tuesday 16 November.

He said: “Short videos were shown, stories were told by victims about the impact of dangerous driving, and speakers were invited to talk from each of the emergency services to get their point across to the school and college groups present.

“It was a very emotional and heart wrenching session; it only takes a few seconds for someone’s life to be taken away or seriously damaged.

“I learnt that becoming a casualty in a road traffic collision continues to be one of the biggest risks for young people, with evidence to suggest that those aged between 17 and 25 years of age are more likely to die or suffer serious injury from a road traffic collision.

“Thank you to all on the Safe Drive Stay Alive Greater Manchester Project Team for educating and therefore reducing the number of young people killed or injured each year on our roads. Thank you also to Ros Hopkins, Road Safety Development Officer at GMFRS / Co-ordinator for Safe Drive Stay Alive, for inviting me.”

PC Nicola Heap from Greater Manchester Police said: "Becoming a casualty in a road traffic collision continues to be one of the biggest risks for young people, which is why initiatives such as Safe Drive Stay Alive are so important.

"The impactful way in which the performances are delivered really hits home with our young audience, and I have no doubt that these performances will save lives.

"I'm incredibly proud to support such an inspiring project and I'd like to thank everyone that works hard to make it happen. Sadly, these people are not actors. They are real people, and the stories they tell are not scripted.

"It's not easy to stand up on stage in front of hundreds of people and recall such painful memories, but they do so because they hope it'll save any other family having to go through what they have. I'm in awe of their bravery."

To find out more about Safe Drive Stay Alive, visit www.safedriveGM.co.uk.