Crashes are no accident, campaign says

A dramatic car crash reconstruction took place outside Manchester Town Hall on Tuesday 14 September - as 10 Greater Manchester road safety units, Greater Manchester Police, and the DriveSafe teamed up for the city's biggest road safety launch of the year.

The shock tactics served to remind the public that 95 per cent of crashes involving vehicles are a result of human error - with the main contributing factors being drink driving, inattention, and speeding.

The reconstruction featured two injured 'victims' being cut out of a crashed car by Greater Manchester Fire Service, assisted by ambulance crews. A police helicopter also hovered overhead at the scene.

The event was designed to communicate a stark message about the consequences of carelessness on the roads.

"This powerful campaign aims to heighten awareness of the most significant cause of crashes across the country - inattention," said Greater Manchester Police Force RSO, Brian Wood. "Driving on today's roads is a complex task and demands 100 per cent concentration. Anything less puts yourself and other road users at risk."

Trevor Higson, principal RSO at Bolton Metro, added: "By staging the event in such a prominent place we hope that as many people as possible saw the crash reconstruction - and that it will serve as a powerful reminder to people to take care when they are driving, and reduce the risk of being involved in or causing an accident."