Crash warning to youngsters

Emergency services worked with students at Peterborough Regional College to stage the event, and show the stark dangers of getting behind the wheel after having a drink. In the simulation, a passenger was ‘killed’, and emergency services showed how they worked at the scene of tragic incidents.

After the crash reconstruction, officers from the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership encouraged students to sign up to Drive IQ. Aimed at new/pre drivers, Driver IQ is a new virtual online driving experience which aims to improve skills such as anticipating danger, hazard detection, risk management and eye scanning.

Councillor Irene Walsh, Cabinet Member for Communities said: “One of the key priorities for the Road Safety Partnership is to reduce the number of young people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads. Young drivers have the tendency to drive too quickly and to overestimate their driving ability. They are also vulnerable to peer pressure. Research suggests that young drivers, in particular young male drivers, are at a much higher risk of crashing. They are therefore more at risk of losing their lives or being seriously injured on the road, often killing or injuring their young passengers or other road users.”