teachers road safety

Too Young to DieInformation for 15-18 year-olds on staying safe on roads

Produced by:

With support from:

How many people do you think are involved in road crashes EVERY DAY in the UK?

Number of deaths

Number of serious injuries (including brain damage, paralysis, limb loss)

Number of slight injuries

9

89

673

Many of those killed and injured are people your age.Road crashes are the biggest killer of 15-24 year-olds.

How safe do you feel in cars, compared to other types of transport?

You’re much more likely to die in a car or on a motorbike than on trains, buses, planes or ferries

2.5 deaths per billion km travelled

0.2 deaths per billion km travelled

0.4 deaths per billion km travelled

105 deaths per billion km travelled

Less than 0.01 deaths per billion km travelled

Less than 0.01 deaths per billion km travelled

What types of driver do you think are most likely to crash and why?

Young drivers, especially young male drivers, are much more likely to kill themselves and others in road crashes, compared to older drivers

What influences the way young people drive?

FACT: Young drivers are more likely to crash if they have their mates in the car

Why do you think that is?

How can you look out for your own and your mates’ safety…… if you’re getting a lift with mates?

… if you’re driving with your mates in the car?

What are the consequences of dangerous driving?

• Higher insurance costs – stay crash free and you’ll save hundreds

• Fines – £60 for speeding, up to £5,000 for dangerous driving, unlimited for causing death by dangerous driving

What are the consequences of dangerous driving?

• Losing your licence can have a big impact on your daily life• Lots of jobs require a clean driving licence• Money you spend on learning to drive and getting a car will be

wasted

What are the consequences of dangerous driving?

• Maximum sentence for dangerous driving = 2 years

• Maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving = 14 years

What are THE WORST POSSIBLE consequences of dangerous driving?

• Life-changing injury (to you or someone else)

• Death (to you or someone else)

Show Too Young to Die film by playingDVD or clickinghere to view itonline

This film features real people telling real stories – no actors are used

Thinking about the true stories in the film, discuss:

• What effects do road deaths have on families and communities?

• What effects do serious injuries have on people’s lives?

• How do you think a death on the road affects the person that caused it (and their family)?

What can you do to be safe behind the wheel (and as a passenger)?

1) Never drive on drink or drugs

2) Stay within speed limits

3) Always belt up

THE BIG THREE:

Pledge to Drive Safely – SOBER UP

Q: How much can you drink before your driving is impaired?

A: Even half a pint affects your reaction times

The smart choice: don’t drink anything before driving – not a drop

CLICK HERE to watch an advert on drink-driving

THE FACTS - how long different drinks stay in your system

The smart choice: count the hours from when you finish your last drink to know when you’ll be alcohol-free and safe to drive

Pint of 5.5% beer = 3 units = 3 hrs

Pint of 4% beer= 2 units = 2 hrs

5.5% bottle = 2 units = 2 hrs

250ml glass of 15% wine = 4 units = 4 hours

35ml measure spirit= 1.5 units = 1.5 hrs

1 super-strength 9% can= 4 units = 4 hrs

Add an hour to the above times for alcohol absorption NB: the above times are approximate – it can take much longer

THE FACTS - how different drugs impair your driving

The smart choice: never drive on drugs If you take drugs regularly, don’t own a car – you could be impaired all the time

• Slow reactions• Poor co-ordination• One spliff can affect you for 4 hours

• Can’t judge speed or distance• Extreme emotions like paranoia • Effects can last 12 hours, tiredness for days

• Over-confident• Likely to take risks • Intense effects last 1 hour, after effects longer

CLICK HERE for online information about the effects of other drugs

The drink/drug drive dilemma

• You’ve been in town drinking.• Your mate was meant to stay off

the booze and drive you all home.• You’ve seen him have at least a

couple of pints and he shared a spliff earlier.

• He reckons he’s stone-cold sober.• Your other mates are already

waiting in the car.• You’re short on cash for a taxi.• You’re pretty drunk yourself and

not really thinking straight, but you need to make a quick decision. What do you do?

Pledge to Drive Safely – SLOW DOWN

Q: If you’re young with quick reactions, what’s wrong with speeding?

A: If you break the limit or drive too fast for the conditions, you’re taking a chance on killing yourself or someone else

The smart choice: stay well within speed limits

THE FACTS – what are the survival chances of a pedestrian hit at 20mph, 30mph, 35mph and 40mph?

If you hit someone on foot or bicycle, your speed helps determine whether they live or die

The smart choice: slow down to 20mph around schools and homes

20mph = 95% chance of survival

30mph = 80% chance of survival

35mph = 50% chance of survival

40mph = 10% chance of survival

CLICK HERE to watch an advert on speeding

THE FACTS – speed on

rural roads

• Drivers are most likely to kill themselves on rural roads – often by taking bends too fast or overtaking dangerously

• You never know what’s round the corner – however well you know the road

The smart choice: slow right down for bends and in bad weather

Q: When is it ok to overtake?

A: Only when you’re 100% sure you can do so safely without speeding

The smart choice: avoid overtaking unless essential – hang back and relax!

Pledge to Drive Safely – BELT UP

DISCUSS: In what situations are you least likely to belt up?

The smart choice: always belt up front and back – and in taxis too. It takes three seconds!

• In the back?• In taxis?• When all your mates are in the car?• On short journeys?

THE FACTS: seat belts • Front seatbelts save an estimated

2,000 lives a year in the UK• In a 30mph crash, an unbelted

back-seat passenger will be thrown forward with a force of 30-60 times their body weight – this can kill the person sat in front of them

The smart choice: if you’re driving, don’t set off until all your passengers are belted up

CLICK HERE to watch an advert on seat belts

The seat belt dilemma

• You’re getting a lift with some mates.

• You get in the back and go to do your seat belt up, but it’s jammed down the back of the seat.

• You can’t pull it out without lifting up the whole of the back seat, which your mate is sitting on.

• He’s looking at you as if to say ‘what are you doing?’

• The car starts to drive off.

• You’re not going far. What do you do?

Pledge online at www.brake.org.uk – click on ‘young driver’

Emma Greathead - killed age 18 while getting a lift home from a friend

Nick Bennett - seriously injured age 18 when overtaking

Ashley Brixey – killed age 20 as a passenger with his friend who had been drinking and taking drugs

Aaron Turner – knocked down and killed age 12 by a young speeding driver

If you’re thinking about breaking the rules, think of them