‘The Dims’ – helping to get children belted up

Children across the country are being shown the consequences of not being belted up by a family known as ‘The Dims’.

The Dims are not a real family - but the fictional brainchild of Middlesborough Council's road safety officer Dave Milford. The Dims have been brought to life by the Forge House Group, Darlington.

The idea came from the memory of Dave Milford’s old school teacher who used to fire chalk at Dave and his classmates almost half a century ago. To this day the chalk and the catapult live long in Dave’s memory!

That catapult has been brought to life again in the form of the Dim’s car - and for the chalk read the Dim family. The purpose of the model is to demonstrate to children the fatal consequences of travelling without a seatbelt.

Without the aid of a seatbelt the family travels down the ramp and smashes through the window screen – see the picture opposite. The RSO then shows the how the family stays perfectly safe if they wear a belt.

The north of England has one of the worst records of child injuries caused by unrestrained youngsters in cars. The model is intended to demonstrate the importance of wearing a seatbelt to youngsters and is now being used by RSOs not just in the north, but across the whole of Britain.

For a free CD-ROM and demonstration pack contact Forge House Group at Forge@FHG.co.uk or call (01325) 254777