Friday 30 May
11.00hrs
Young drivers in Yate have been having their say on
community issues as well as learning about staying safe behind the
wheel as part of a new initiative by Avon Fire & Rescue Service
(AF&RS) and Avon and Somerset Constabularly.
Around 30 young drivers and their modified vehicles gathered at
Yate Fire Station’s Community Safety Centre to meet with local
police inspector Caroline Howard and Stuart Matthews, AF&RS’s
Community Safety Officer for South Gloucestershire, as well as
representatives from South Gloucestershire District Council’s
Environmental Health department and Safer South Gloucestershire
Anti Social Behaviour Team.
The aim of the evening was to engage with the young people,
hearing their views on local provision and educating them about
driving hazards. The meeting also provided an opportunity for the
organisers to make the group aware of how their pastimes could
impact on residents – for example, noise from revving engines and
car stereos.
However, despite the ‘boy racer’ anti social image often
attached to the young drivers of modified cars, the group were
receptive to what the team had to say, said Inspector Howard.
She added: “This was a really nice group of about 25-30 young
men and women in their late teens to early 20’s, who spent
some considerable time with us sharing their views on life in Yate
and Chipping Sodbury and who equally listened to what we had to say
about the impact of some of their behaviour on local residents.
“In particular, the advice from Avon Fire & Rescue Service
on the RoadSkills presentation appeared to really make them think
about their own safety and that of their passengers and other road
users. The message from the Environmental Health officer, Chris
Gillett, had an similar impact when we demonstrated how disturbing
their music and behaviour could be.
“All in all, we had a very positive outcome, with many of the
young people willing to participate in local Safer and Stronger
Community Group meetings and other activities such as Community
Speedwatch.”
During the meeting, the group were shown the RoadSkills
presentation - featuring first hand accounts of road accidents,
thought-provoking safety films and photographs taken at the scene
of incidents attended by AF&RS.
With statistics showing that young drivers are more likely to
kill or injure themselves or their passengers in a road accident
than any other group, the presentation is specifically aimed at
teenagers.
Stuart Matthews said: “Many road traffic collisions attended by
our fire crews tragically often involve the death of a young driver
and/or their passengers.
“The repercussions are far reaching - from families and friends
who have to cope with the death of a loved-one, to the emergency
services who have in many cases battled to keep the casualty
alive.
“Like all the young people in Avon we hope to deliver this
presentation to, the young people we saw at the meeting have bright
futures ahead of them. Anything we can do to ensure those futures
are not wrecked by a momentary lapse in concentration is very
important to us.”