WHAT IS SAFE DRIVE STAY ALIVE?

Safe Drive Stay Alive(Tayside) is a theatre education project which explores the circumstances that can lead to a road traffic collision and the consequences that follow. Statistically young drivers are much more likely to be involved in a collision, often due to inexperience and a lack of understanding of the risks.

The Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) production aims to reduce the number of casualties amongst young people by questioning their behaviour and attitude on the roads in a hard-hitting way.  Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) is taking a pro-active approach to reach a target audience with one of the hightest casualty rates for drivers and passengers.

It's a tragic fact that 3,248 young adults aged 16 to 18 years were killed or seriously injured on Britain's roads in 2005.  That's nearly ten young adults every single day.

The road infrastructure of Tayside is no different to the other roads in Britain with Tayside's roads contributing to the statistics with a total of 25 people losing their lives and 225 sustaining serious injuries in the year 2008/2009.

WHO IS THE SHOW FOR?

As you may be aware, in November and December 2008, Tayside Fire and Rescue and Tayside Police in conjunction with other agencies held Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) events. The production was shown to around 5000 pupils from the Tayside area at three venues and received extremely positive feedback from everyone who was involved.

In 2009, Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) will reach an audience of school pupils from Angus, Dundee, and Perth & Kinross where it will be delivered to over 3437 S5 and S6 pupils. Approx. 1500 pupils from Dundee College, Angus College and Perth College will also attend. It is a multi-agency initiative with representatives from Tayside Fire and Rescue, Tayside Police, Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Tayside, Tayside Safety Camera Partnership, Local Authorities and their relevant Community Safety Partnerships.

Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change - Stewart Stevenson MSP said:

"The emergency services are the front line. Day in, day out, they witness the awful consequences of road accidents on Scotland's roads. They experience, at first hand, the devastation of lives being lost needlessly. This campaign in Tayside is so important.

This is an opportunity to join forces and reinforce the message that irresponsible driving costs lives and links with Scotland's Road Safety Framework to 2020 which was published in June. You only need to listen to the harrowing experiences of victims, families, and members of the police, fire and ambulance services at these events to see how important that is. I hope drivers of all ages pay attention to what is being said. If they don't, we will see more tragic deaths, and more families being torn apart by the heart break of a loved one being lost."

Sir Arnold Clark said:

"I am extremely passionate about cars and having spent many years on the road visiting my brances, I consider driving a pleasure. During my 50 years, in business I've seen some terrible road traffic collisions and it has made me even more aware of car safety - especially where young adults are involved.

As an employer of over 8000 staff, a father and a grandfather, I am very conscious that all members of staff and my family are safe when thay are travelling on the road. Such is my concern that I'm delighted to announce my company's association with the Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) campaign.

The aim of this campaign is simple - to raise awareness of the dangers that young drivers face on the road, in turn reducing the number of accidents."

Stephen Hunter, Chief Fire Officer, Tayside Fire and Rescue said:

‘‘Road traffic collisions have devastating consequences, not only for those directly involved, but also for their families, friends and the wider community. Tayside Fire and Rescue actively supports this Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) initiative as a valuable means of raising the awareness of the dangers associated with driving amongst young people.

‘‘Through working in partnership with all of our Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) partners we hope that this initiative will contribute to safer road users in Tayside.’’

Andy Hermiston, Community Fire Safety Manager
Co-Chair Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) Co-ordinating Group 2009

Tayside Fire and Rescue are delighted to support and co-ordinate Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) 2009. Tayside Fire and Rescue is committed to reducing the risk to our communities and this includes road safety. There is no doubt the situation is improving due to the innovaive and creative work donducted by all the partners involved in road safety across Tayside and beyond. However no one can be satisfied with the numbers of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads every day. This is unacceptable, but need not be inevitable. I believe that the fire and rescue service in conjunction with all our partners can make a real difference to the safety of our communities on Tayside's roads. That's why as part of the team which contributed to Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside), we are pleased to have had the opportunity to contribute to such an exciting and important initiative. The contribution to the event by all the partners and those within our communities who have been directly affected by road traffic collisions is both awe-inspiring and admirable. The dedication, professionalism and sincerity of all those involved will undoubtedly make Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) 2009 a very thought provoking and memorable experience for all those who attend.

Justine Curran: Acting Chief Constable said:

In this, the third year of the Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) event, the key messages to those attending remain the same; every road casualty statistic represents an individual tragedy for families and has an effect in the wider community.

Inappropriate speed, alcohol, drugs and the failure to wear a seat belt are all major contributors to death and serious injury in road collisions.

Young drivers continue to be an over-represented group in many serious and fatal collisions on Tayside roads.

Many young drivers are overconfident in their driving ability but lack the skills that experience brings. Regrettably, all too often, this results in them taking risks which have potentially fatal consequences.

The Safe Drive Stay Alive (Tayside) initiative gives young people the chance to "experience" how risk taking behaviour can impact on the lives of everyone in their community.

It is anticipated that through this form of education these young people, whether passengers or drivers, will remember the key messages of Safe Drive Stay Alive and behave as responsible members of the community and assist in making the roads of Tayside safer for everyone.

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