In 2000, P.C. Dave Nixon, Durham Constabulary's Road Casualty Reduction
Officer developed Wise Drive and together with Durham Agency Against
Crime initiated this multi-agency initiative aimed at helping young people
become safer drivers. It was designed as an action packed education
workshop programme targeting young people within reach of their first
provisional driving licence.
The 2003 event which was held in September
proved to be the most successful to date
catering for 440 participants over a ten day
period, which incorporated two days
dedicated to the Youth Offending Teams
operating within the Force area.
Each day 50 young people attended the
event. Their day began with a thought
provoking presentation delivered by a
paramedic using video footage of real fatal
collisions to highlight the reason behind the
event. They then attended seven workshops
which were all provided by specialist
agencies and represented all aspects of
driver and rider safety. These included the
Fire and Rescue Service extracting casualties
(volunteers from the groups) from crashed
car simulations, BSM giving a 15 minute
driving lesson, a trip on the skidpan with the
Traffic Police, and interactive workshops from
Durham Constabulary's Motorcycle Section,
Police Mechanic, the County Council's Road
Safety Officers and the Driving Standards
Agency as well as advice from Police
personnel on buying a first car.
At the end of each day all the participants
were presented with a certificate and given a
package of gifts and information.
Over the course of the event, 82 visitors who
attended were impressed enough to sign the
visitors' book. This was extremely
encouraging as only very positive comments
were submitted.
The event was once again heavily supported
by a number of national and local
businesses. Barclays Bank, a major partner
offered both financial assistance and staff support to the vent. Two companies who
proved indispensable for their support are
McDonald's Restaurant who provided the
lunch requirements and support staff and
Walkers Snack Foods who sent staff to assist
and also donated snacks and drinks for
everyone involved. |
