For my girlfriend – campaign roundup

Activity relating to the For my girlfriend (FMG) young driver campaign reached a peak last week on and around Valentine’s Day. FMG faces young male drivers with the awful prospect of killing their girlfriend by driving too fast. The campaign ran in the eastern region – where it was developed – and across the Thames Valley region, Lancashire, London and in Somerset.

Here’s a roundup of some of the activity.

The reality of a road crash
Although FMG is a month long campaign in Lancashire, activity peaked on Thursday 12 February when a crash reconstruction took place at the University of Central Lancashire.

The reconstruction was based on a scenario in which a young male driver had crashed his car at speed leaving his female passenger with life threatening injuries. Two drama students from the University of Central Lancashire acted out this scenario.

The young male driver, played by Paul Day, was the first to be pulled from the wreckage by the emergency services, having sustained only minor injuries - leaving his girlfriend, played by Anna Whelan, trapped inside the vehicle fighting for her life.

Heavy machinery was used to cut Anna free and onlookers watched as Paul, clearly worried and distressed, ran to her side as the paramedics lifted her from the wreckage.

The actors wore professional make-up to ensure their injuries looked realistic. Anna was eventually pulled from the vehicle clutching a Valentine card and a dozen red roses.

The reconstruction was arranged with the help of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and Lancashire Ambulance Service and illustrated in graphic detail the horrific consequences of a road traffic crash.

The project team distributed 25 single red roses throughout the reconstruction to represent the 25 young people who were killed on Lancashire’s roads in 2003.

For further information about For my girlfriend in Lancashire contact:
The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety, 01772 534531, or visit the Partnership website www.safe2travel.co.uk

Valentine’s Day massacre in Milton Keynes
The Milton Keynes FMG launch also featured a staged ‘crashed car’ with the fire brigade releasing volunteer ‘victims’ with cutting equipment. The launch was held at 1pm outside Midsummer Place in Central Milton Keynes.

"The number of road collisions we attend has escalated by more than a third in just one year," said Peter Baxter, head of safety for Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service. "Many collisions are the result of taking risks, including high speed.

"Too often we witness the tragic consequences of poor driving, with risk-taking driving down safety margins. I urge all drivers to match their driving to the conditions and their ability, and reflect on the consequences for their passengers and other road users if they do not," Peter Baxter added.

Valentine’s Ball used to drive home message in Bracknell
Bracknell Forest Borough Council launched its FMG campaign at a Valentine’s Ball organised by Rileys Bar, Bracknell.

Two Bracknell youngsters joined RSOs to launch the campaign by distributing merchandise items to people leaving the ball between 11pm - 2am. "The Valentines Ball was a great opportunity to meet people under 25 and give them more information about the importance of killing their speed," said Helen Mitchell, one of the canvassers. "Young people were attracted by the items we distributed, which carry an important message."

Be my Valentine...
FMG 2004 launched in Essex with PC Vince Atkinson of Essex Police and senior road safety officer Katie Brimley handing one of the campaign’s Valentine cards to a young driver. The driver, Stuart Berry, received the card outside police headquarters in his home town of Chelmsford.

Around 30,000 of the cards have been distributed to young people in Essex, with the help of schools and colleges, nightclubs and pubs, and major employers. Across the whole of the eastern region the number of cards distributed is almost 80,000.

Suffolk delivers Valentine’s road safety message to Ipswich students
The FMG Valentine’s card was handed out to young drivers at Suffolk College in Ipswich to mark the 2004 re-launch of the campaign in the county. Suffolk’s road safety officers have distributed the card to schools and colleges across Suffolk as part of the ongoing campaign.

"We are hoping that this hard-hitting message will shock young people into realising just how vulnerable they are on the road - not just as a driver but as a passenger too," says Peter Monk, a member of the county council’s executive committee. "It will bring home to them the consequences of losing a loved one because of bad driving."

Students play full part in Peterborough launch
Peterborough City Council’s FMG campaign launched at Peterborough Regional College.

While the overall number of people killed or seriously injured in road traffic collisions on Peterborough's roads fell by five per cent last year, the proportion of young drivers aged 17 – 25 years rose to 30 per cent.

The launch comprised a crash reconstruction, with students from the College playing the role of crash victims cut free from the wreckage by the fire service. The ambulance service was also on hand to provide medical support and make the scene more realistic.

The For my girlfriend Valentine card has been distributed to over 5,000 young people in Peterborough via local businesses, schools, colleges, nightclubs and pubs.

Wendy Coleman, community safety officer for Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "Each year our fire crews deal with more deaths and serious injuries at road accidents than at fires."

Footballer and Hollyoaks star cut out of car crash
Crowds gathered in the centre of Wycombe on Friday to watch Carley Stenson - alias Steph from Hollyoaks - and Wycombe Wanderers footballer Scott Marshall being cut free from a crashed car by the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Team.

The fire and ambulance services treated the demonstration as if it were real - by cutting off the doors and the roof of the car and finally stretchering Scott to safety. They then showed how his dangerous driving had resulted in the death of his girlfriend and in a shocking scene Carley was taken out of the car and put into a body bag. These grave scenes had a dramatic impact on the watching crowds.

Events have been taking place across Buckinghamshire to promote FMG. New and potential young drivers in schools across the County have been shown a thought provoking play specifically written to highlight the emotional issues surrounding the death of a friend.

The Road Safety Team also worked in partnership with Wycombe Wanderers Football Club on Valentines Day, handing out roses and FMG merchandise.

"This campaign has got off to a really good start and has made a huge impact on many people already," said Rodney Royston, portfolio holder for transportation. "On average three young people are killed or seriously injured each week on the roads in Buckinghamshire and we want to reduce this figure."

For further information go to: www.formygirlfriend.co.uk