| Target audiences for the week are young drivers & their passengers who run at high risk for accidents |
Fire and Rescue Services across the UK will be coming together between the 8th and 14th June to raise awareness of the dangers to young drivers of driving whilst distracted.
Services will be running events and activities as part of the Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA)’s 2015 Road Safety Week highlighting that, as a risky activity, driving requires full attention at all times. Drivers who are distracted significantly increase their risk of causing a devastating crash – you are four times more likely to crash if you use a mobile phone while driving.
The target audience for this week is young drivers and their passengers – although driving distraction is a significant risk for all drivers, if combined with the inexperience of a newly-qualified driver it becomes an even more deadly cocktail.
Raise awareness of the dangers of distraction
Nigel Hutchinson, CFOA’s Road Safety Lead said: “Fire and Rescue Services see first-hand the devastation that road traffic collisions cause – and the life-changing impact they can have for young drivers, their passengers, and their families. In fact, road collisions are the biggest cause of death for young adults aged between 15 and 19. This is why we are keen to raise awareness of the dangers of distraction to this group, and to their friends and families – to help save lives.”
Distracted driving activities include things like using a mobile phone, texting, and eating. Using in-vehicle technologies (such as navigation systems) can also be sources of distraction.
The campaign will also be targeting messages about, and to, passengers. Passengers are another major source of distraction and have an important role to play in helping the driver to be able to concentrate on just driving.
A launch event for this year’s CFOA Road Safety Week will take place at Lady Lumley’s School in Pickering, North Yorkshire. The event will run from 9:30am until midday with a number of demonstrations and interactive events taking place for students to attend.