Wisbech student's prize-winning artwork now part of major police campaign

Hilary Auld, Head of Faculty at the Collage of West Anglia Wisbech, Maree Richards Road Safety Officer, Jake Howlett, Jane Goodwin, Graphic Design Course Director

Local graphic design students were set the challenge of creating a piece of work to highlight the dangers of drug driving.

Jake Howlett, 20, from Wisbech, created the winning piece with the slogan “Drugs can colour your senses” while at the College of West Anglia.

The competition was organised by Road Safety Officers at Cambridgeshire County Council.

Jake’s work is now being used as part of a drug drive campaign being run by Cambridgeshire Constabulary and supported by the Peterborough and Cambridgeshire Road Safety Partnership.

The posters are being displayed in colleges and sixth forms in Cambridgeshire and next month will be on show at service stations across the county, as well as in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.

In March last year the law changed to make it easier to prosecute those exceeding set limits and the introduction of roadside test kits has helped officers identify people driving under the influence of drugs. The legislation covers some prescribed drugs as well as illegal substances.

Jake said: “I’m really happy that my work was chosen and will be used to promote this important message.

“Drug driving is a very important issue and to be involved in the campaign design was educational and exciting.”

A Cambridgeshire Constabulary spokesperson said: “We’re very impressed with the work Jake produced for the competition and are delighted to be able to include the posters as part of the campaign.

“Driving under the influence of drugs is completely unacceptable and can have tragic consequences. Even small traces of certain substances can have an impact on someone’s ability to drive and significantly increases the chance of being involved in a collision.”

Maree Richards Cambridgeshire County Council’s Road Safety officer said: “Working with the students was a great experience; they have amazing talent and an understanding of how to convey these important messages in a creative way.

“This new law will save lives. We know driving under the influence of drugs is extremely dangerous; it devastates families and ruins lives.”