Cleveland Road Safety Partnership came together in their support of Project EDWARD with the aim of helping to reduce road fatalities with a dynamic Road Safety Event at NETA Training.

With drivers aged between 17 and 24 statistically found to be the highest risk group on North East roads, the initiative aimed to foster safer driving habits amongst young drivers and passengers.

Shocking statistics show that young drivers hold just 6% of driving licences in the region, but account for 17% of driver casualties on the road. Nationally, the figure is 9% and 22%.

During the past five years alone, 37 young drivers and passengers have been killed and 589 seriously injured in collisions that could easily have been avoided.

The Road Safety event included a number of thought-provoking sessions, this included a staged crash scene where NETA learners experienced the post-crash response deployed by Cleveland Fire Brigade when rescuing casualties from a wrecked car, demonstrating the challenges both casualties and rescuers face.

Andrew Bright, Cleveland Fire Brigade’s Road Safety Co-ordinator said: “This event gave NETA learners a real hands-on opportunity to learn about the key risks that can face drivers and passengers on our roads, but more importantly has helped give them strategies to avoid the dangers that can so often wreck lives.”

With speeding, distraction, drink, drug driving and failing to wear seatbelts considered to be the fatal four causes of road casualties involving young people the trainees and apprentices from NETA took part in an engagement carousel of road safety elements which addressed the ‘Fatal Four’.

NETA learners also had the opportunity to take a virtual reality car journey and see first-hand the harrowing consequences of a road crash, which could have easily been prevented.

Andrew delivered a hard-hitting drink drive case study, which demonstrated how lives can be wrecked by driving under the influence of alcohol, drugs or both.

The Cleveland Roads Policing Matrix Team also demonstrated the latest laser speed detection equipment as part of the day designed to raise awareness of the consequences of excess or inappropriate speeds on our roads.

National Highways and Durham and Cleveland Constabulary Forensic Collision Investigation Unit were on hand to discuss their roles and how to stay safe when using the road network.

Project EDWARD (Every Day Without A Road Death) is the biggest platform for showcasing good practice in road safety in the UK. Managed by Projects Zero, it is backed by government, the emergency services, highways agencies, road safety organisations and British businesses. It promotes an evidence-led, ‘safe system’ approach – the long-term objective of which is a road traffic system free from death and serious injury.

The five components of the Safe System are:

• Safe Roads – Safety-conscious road planning, design and engineering
• Safe Vehicles – Promoting vehicles with collision avoidance and injury mitigation systems
• Safe Speeds – Managing speeds to crash survival levels
• Safe Road Users – Deterring dangerous behaviour and ensuring compliance: education & enforcement
• Post-Crash Response – Fast and efficient emergency medical help, diagnosis and care

NETA Director, Sean Johnston said: “We are pleased to support Project Edward in the delivery of such important safety messages to our learners.  Many of our students and apprentices will be new drivers, or just starting to learn, as such it is vital they fully understand the potential risks of the roads and are equipped with the advice and behaviours to help them make the right choices, and by doing so keep not just themselves safe but also their friends, family, and other road-users.”

Chair of the Cleveland Road Safety Partnership Delivery Group, Sergeant Mark Kewley from Cleveland Police Matrix Team, said: “Young people are some of the most vulnerable drivers we see on our roads, accounting for 22% of driver casualties nationally. These figures need to come down, and as we look to educate drivers on road safety in order to reduce the number of serious and fatal casualties on our roads, young drivers are one of the main age groups we will target to provide that additional input on road safety.

“We’d like to thank NETA for taking part in the day and allowing us to provide this invaluable input to their learners.”

Cleveland Road Safety Partnership includes representatives from the four local authority areas of Teesside with responsibility for Safer Roads also Cleveland Police, Cleveland Fire Brigade and National Highways.