Home / News / Safe Drive, Stay Alive – November 2022

Safe Drive, Stay Alive – November 2022

Posted on Friday 18th November 2022 in All Road Users, Drivers, Education and Training, Motorcyclists, Pedestrians

Safe Drive Stay Alive has become a firm fixture in the education calendar and is popular with schools and colleges throughout Sussex. Safe Drive Stay Alive, is a live theatre-based education production that aims to raise road safety awareness amongst young people and to positively influence their attitudes to driving and as passengers. Young drivers are much more likely to be involved in a crash on the roads, often due to inexperience and a lack of knowledge of the risks.

Being involved in a road traffic collision is one of the biggest risks for young people, with 17-25 year-olds continuing to be disproportionately represented in the casualty statistics of those killed or seriously injured on the roads. Inexperience means that young people are at particular risk and have less ability to spot hazards, as well as being more likely to take risks such as overtaking or speeding.

The ‘Fatal 5’, which comprises of speeding, distraction, drink and drug driving, non-seatbelt wearing, and peer pressure, is covered within the performances, as well as an appeal to the audience to be good influences as passengers and to speak up if they don’t feel safe.

Each performance features a sequence of short films and live speakers. With each one telling a personal story about the impact that a road traffic collision has had on their life. This year’s Safe Drive Stay Alive was produced by West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (WSFRS), supported by Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP), South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust’s (SECAmb), Roads Policing Unit (RPU), and local councils. Each partner has been working for years to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads. All stories include advice for the audience on how to keep themselves safe and avoid being involved in a road traffic collision themselves.

The stories told are not only from professionals by also from members of the public whose lives have been affected by both a fatal and serious road traffic collision. These incredibly strong individuals speak candidly about both the loss and impact they continue to experience, which is incredibly emotive.

Through a combination of roads policing, road safety education, engineering measures, and speed enforcement, the Partnership continues to work towards using its wealth of knowledge and experience, to provide advice and support to all road users across Sussex. We refine and develop strategies to promote road safety and encourage everyone to consider how they use the roads and how everyone can become safer.

Sussex Safer Roads Partnership’s (SSRP) Programme Delivery Officer, Tom Hart who attended a Safe Drive Stay Alive session, said:

‘Safe Drive Stay Alive continues to deliver key road safety messages surrounding the Fatal 5 to young adults in Sussex. Delivery strategy has evolved following advances in technology and academic research, demonstrated in the use of the interactive app Kahoot during the performances. Testimonies remain a core component of the performance, with emergency service members, victims, and family members detailing their experiences of collisions on Sussex roads. This elicits an emotional response from the audience, not aiming to discouraging young drivers and riders, rather to highlight the consequences of poor decision-making and encouraging all to Safe Drive, Stay Alive.’