Press Release Summary: The new Hants Fire & Rescue Rally Team (HFRRT) Subaru Impreza was on display at Brockenhurst College in the New Forest today for the annual event: Drive Safe Day.
Press Release Body: In association with Christchurch’s Turbo Dynamics, HFRRT had their car on static display under a Turbo Dynamics gazebo with students allowed to sit in the driver’s seat and let their imaginations run wild! Retained Firefighter and HFRRT driver, Mark Daniels was also present to talk to Brockenhurst College students and staff about the importance of road safety. Driving home the event’s message even more, Daniels had just completed a busy 15hr night-shift, showing that general safety (road and fire) should be of upmost importance to everyone.
Turbo Dynamics Sales Co-ordinator, Angela Moore, explained “At Turbo Dynamics we like to promote turbocharger units to help the environment and save people money by giving better fuel economy, rather than giving more speed on the roads, which in turn can cause more accidents. Turbochargers should only be used for extra speed in a safe environment i.e. race tracks.”
Back for its second year, the event’s aim was to promote road safety using a mixture of activities, presentations and exhibits. These included: free bike checks, sample non-alcoholic drinks (courtesy of the Rose and Crown), hazard perception tests, free eyesight tests, first aid demonstrations and practicals, freebies, quizzes and competitions.
This year’s event also welcomed celebrity guest, ‘Atlas’ the Gladiator who, clad in his Gladiator’s small, tight and shiny silver garment, introduced the event and signed autographs for many a female fan! Other guests included an ex-student who had survived a near-fatal traffic accident.
The Highways Agency was present at the event with free florescent snap-on wristbands, tax disc holders, Hi magazines (with details on driving safely and car maintenance), information booklets, talks on Traffic Officers’ work and ‘Now That’s What I Call Worst Hits!’ DVDs.
The interactive and educational DVDs have been produced using information generated by police crash scene investigators, and feature the 10 most common accident scenarios for young people today: not concentrating on the road ahead, lane-hopping, careless overtaking, driver and/or passengers not wearing seatbelts, a right turn across traffic, impatience, taking right or left hand bends too fast, collision at a junction etc. The DVD allows the user to choose a character and then takes them through each of the ten scenarios, asking them what they would do when presented with a problem. If they then make the incorrect decision, they will be shown what could happen, before being asked to try again.
Safer Roads Partnership was at the event with yet more freebies and staff providing information about tyre safety etc. Further Drive Safe Day exhibitors were the DSA, Road Policing Unit, BSM and the British Horse Society, who advised horse riders how to stay safe on the roads. The police were also on hand with some ‘Beer Goggles’ for students to put on before attempting to accurately walk down a straight line marked out on the college lawn!
A large part of the Drive Safe Day was dedicated to promoting the message ‘Be Animal Aware’ with several exhibits on the dangers of driving dangerously through the New Forest and around animals. Displays included graphic pictures of cars that had crashed into horses with the horse remains hanging out of the car, but these shocking images did drive home the message with students commenting, “Eugh! Is that real?!” and “That is sick!” And of course, as a rural based college, a lot of students have to drive through the New Forest on a daily basis to attend the college, with approx. eight college students losing their lives to road accidents within the last decade.
Messages also pushed under the Drive Safe heading were ‘Don’t drink and drive’ and ‘Don’t use a mobile phone while driving’ with the slogan: Dying to take the call. Exhibitors emphasised that any distraction, no matter how small (other people in the car attracting your attention/changing a CD), could result in an accident and that the driver is the person who chooses whether or not they have that collision.
Of the day, Clyde Evans of Hampshire’s Fire & Rescue Services Community Safety Department said “Drive Safe Day is focused on providing road safety awareness to students and staff; the impact they can have on lives and the community if they are irresponsible in their road use.”
Evans also introduced the presentation on a trapped person, Matt, being rescued from a car wreck. He described a scene where Matt had lost control of his car while driving at 30MPH and had hit a tree. Evans explained that from this collision, Matt would in effect experience three crashes:
The 30MPH impact of the car hitting the tree. The car engine block stops, but the car’s shell keeps moving so the dash, steering-wheel and engine all move inwards onto Matt; shattering his knees. Matt’s feet would twist into the pedals. The steering wheel would go into his chest. Automatically, Matt would grip the steering wheel during the crash, which would cause his wrists and shoulders to break. Matt would still be travelling forwards at 30MPH when the crash happened so his brain would smash into his skull. His heart continues at the same speed and could be ripped out of his body. Matt’s other internal organs: lungs, kidneys etc. all go forwards tearing and splitting upon hitting his bones, pelvis and rib cage.
Evans then reminded the students that even if they were lucky enough to survive such a crash, their quality of life would never be the same again i.e. they would be wheelchair-bound.
The powerful presentation also included information about rescue services attending road accidents and the dangers of people not wearing seatbelts. - A passenger involved in a car crash who isn’t wearing a seatbelt will be thrown forward with a force of 30-60x their own bodyweight(!), immediately killing anyone sat in front of them, even if that person’s wearing a seatbelt.
So with such powerful presentations and dramatic imagery, what did the students think of the event? Emilia, Faye and Kirsty said “We’ve enjoyed our day because we got free stuff, which made it more interesting. It made us really listen. There were speeches and having the rally car made it more interesting.”
Web Site: http://www.turbodynamics.co.uk
Contact Details: Natasha Miller natasha@turbodynamics.co.uk Tel. 01202 487497
2022
