Students see the reality of drink and drug-driving

Earlier this week, students at Broomfield College were given a demonstration around the importance of road safety.

Youth Engagement Officer Julie Berry arranged the sessions with the support of Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service and the force’s Roads Policing Unit as part of Work Experience Week, to showcase the work that emergency services must do when they attend a road traffic collision.

Targeting new drivers that are either starting lessons or beginning to pass their tests, officers from our Roads Policing Unit and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service put on two demonstrations, where a drink-driver was arrested for causing death by dangerous driving, and a second victim had to be cut out of the passenger side of the car.

Julie said: “The demonstration really shocked the students and showed them the responsibility that comes with being in control of a vehicle.

“We spoke about what the emergency services had to do when they arrive at the scene of a road traffic collision, looked at how they work together to get people to safety and what they do with a suspected drink-driver.

“We then held a de-brief where the students had to create a campaign with a key message from the demonstration. This really showed that they had understood the intentions of the demonstrations: Not to drink or drug drive.”

After the debrief took place, Julie also delivered a session that made the students work in teams, in the same way police and fire did at the scene of the collision.

Students were split into two groups and sent to two rooms, where they had to work together via Walkie Talkies and build the same figure through a wall.

Julie added: “The purpose of this task was to listen to what was being descried to them, and to work together as a team to build the same figure in the same shape, colour and size.

“It was a real challenge and some of them got very frustrated, but the exercise showed how police and fire must work with colleagues in their Control Rooms when attending an incident.”

Feedback from the event was positive and students said they learnt a lot from the day, whilst enjoying it at the same time.