Fire Service backs national campaign with hard hitting radio campaign and urges public - Don’t give into temptation

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service is backing the national charity Brake’s Road Safety Week this November with the release of a hard hitting radio advert on Capital FM.

Within the advert listeners are urged not to give into temptation and send a text while driving as this can take a life.

From April 1st 2010 until March 31st 2011, there were 6856 recorded road traffic collisions (RTC’s), across Wales with emergency response teams often having to deal with horrific scenes. 

Of the 6856 RTC’s, 89 people were killed, 998 seriously injured and 8868 people were slightly injured

The theme of this year's awareness week, which runs from the 21st to 25th November, is
“Too Young To Die” and is the brainchild of national charity Brake, who exist to improve road safety in the UK.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service runs and organises events all year round to promote road safety and during Road Safety Week this year will be taking ‘Domino’ ‘Operation Options’ and the ‘Ford Cruize Car’ to colleges around the South Wales area .

Neil Brown, Head of Road Safety for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said;

“We work closely with our communities throughout the year to give advice on a number of safety issues affecting them. Road safety is always key to our talks, particularly to young people who are statistically more at risk. It makes sense to support Road Safety Week, which is highlighting the dangers to young drivers.

These incidents are renowned for sending horrific shock waves throughout immediate families, close relatives and the local communities.  “Some of the incidents that South Wales Firefighters attend are horrific, and the less people who have to suffer the trauma of losing someone in tragic circumstances like these the better.”

However, these incidents are preventable and are more often than not are caused by the person driving too fast, driving dangerously, driving whilst using a mobile phone, driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol or becoming tired whilst at the wheel and the drivers and passengers not wearing a seat belt.

By Delivering the “Domino” ‘Operation Options’ and ‘Cruize Car’ within colleges throughout the area, South Wales Fire & Rescue Service will be raising awareness of the fact that road crashes are the biggest killer of young people.   During this Road Safety Week, SWFRS will be encouraging young people to look out for themselves and their friends as drivers and passengers and speak out against dangerous driving behaviour.

Firefighters have a crucial role in rescuing trapped casualties, delivering first aid, and making the scene safe at incidents and would like to see the number of casualties and collisions reduced.

Click here to listen to the hard hitting radio advert

Operation Options
Will be used to educate the public on how small changes to their driving can keep themselves and others alive.

Police officers will be positioned outside Fire Stations that are in towns and cities that statistically have some of the highest levels of Road Traffic Collisions in South Wales. These police officers will then stop any drivers who are observed not to be wearing seatbelts and offer them a choice:

Option 1: The offender can agree to pay the fixed penalty fine or

Option 2:  The offender can attend the Fire Station and watch a ten minute presentation on the devastating consequences of not wearing a seatbelt.

Fire Cruize Car
The Fire Cruize Car is a new dynamic approach to engaging with our target group of young drivers.  The Ford Focus ST has been identified as one of the most popular vehicles used as an attraction tool. This allows for engagement with our most at risk group on their ‘home ground’ and at local organised car meets.   Local cruisers also known as ‘boy racers’ fall into this target group and through proven research, local intelligence and consultation, with the Cruisers themselves, the ‘Cruize’ project was formed. This car acts as the ‘tool that breaks the ice’ thereby allowing us to engage with and educate young drivers and passengers in a more relaxed approach in an environment where they feel comfortable.  

The purpose of the project is to increase the young persons’ knowledge on the consequences of anti-social driving behaviour, especially when it is combined with inexperience. The aim is to help change their attitude towards this type of driving whilst further reducing road deaths and injuries of young people in Wales.

Domino
The Domino Effect is a hard hitting education tool kit created by South Wales Fire and Rescue Service aiming to educate new drivers and young people of the effects that one road traffic collision can have on many lives.

South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Road Safety Team are aiming to deliver the ‘Domino Effect’ presentation to young people aged 15+ throughout the whole of South Wales. The message aims to make people think about the effect a road traffic collision has on them and to families and friends.  Issues such as; driving responsibly, actively encouraging them never to use a mobile phone whilst driving, always wear a seatbelt, never exceed the speed limit and never to drink drive are all discussed. The presentation includes hard hitting TV advertisements, images and information.

Planned activity
21st November
Cardiff & Vale College, (Mechanics School) Domino & Fire Cruize Car, 0900-1600hrs
Options, Abercarn 0800-1600hrs

22nd November
Colleg Gwent Usk, Domino & Fire Cruize Car, 0900-1600hrs
Options, Tonypandy 0800-1600hrs

23rd November
Colleg Gwent Ebbw Vale, Domino & Fire Cruize Car, 0900-1600hrs
RORR MOD St Athens, 0900-1600hrs

24th November
Colleg Gwent Newport, Domino & Focus, 0900-1600hrs Options Barry,0800-1600hrs
Focus MOD St Athens  1730-2030hrs

25th November
Cardiff & Vale College, (Mechanics School) Domino & Fire Cruize Car, 0900hrs-1600hrs
Options New Inn 0800hrs-1600hrs