A new road safety programme, aimed specifically at defence personnel, is launching this week.
Statistics show that vehicle-related collisions are the second largest cause of non-operational fatalities and injuries across the Ministry of Defence, only exceeded by training incidents.
Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service has now worked in partnership with the Ministry of Defence’s Movement and Transport Safety Regulator, Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service, SAFE South West, Devon County Council and the University of Plymouth to develop ‘Survive The Drive’.
This new intervention programme is based on the established, and highly successful, Safe Drive Stay Alive scheme. The aim is that all military personnel, including civil servants, will get a greater understanding of the risks on our roads, and the impact that a road traffic collision can have on them, their families and the wider community.
Part-funded by a grant from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, Survive The Drive will be seen by nearly 2,000 people at military bases in Dorset and Wiltshire before the end of the month. Other shows are also being held in Devon and Somerset.
As with Safe Drive Stay Alive, the presentation includes testimonies from a police officer, a paramedic, a firefighter, someone who has caused a road traffic collision, the victim of a road traffic collision, and someone who has lost a family member in a road traffic collision.
Ian Hopkins, road safety manager for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We have been taking our Safe Drive Stay Alive roadshow to local military bases for the past ten years, but Survive The Drive is designed specifically for its audience and is intended to be rolled out across the country. We use the strapline ‘tomorrow is decided today’ as these are people who can relate to the impact of a split-second decision. We want them to recognise the parallels between the decisions they make while operational, and those they make at home when driving, and to adjust their actions accordingly.”
The pilot shows running throughout November will be evaluated by the University of Plymouth, with a view to formally launching the scheme nationally in the New Year.
Between now and Christmas, the shows will be seen by personnel at Blandford, Tidworth, HMS Drake, Stonehouse and Lyneham.
The Community Radio Station covering Central-Southern Dorset, run by volunteers and not-for-profit