Safe Drive Stay Alive

On Monday of last week my year group were invited by the organisation 'Safe Drive, Stay Alive'. It was a talk warning us about the dangers of driving and what could happen if something were to happen. The even started off by one of the local DJs trying to get every one up and dancing before the mood rocketed downwards as the reenactment began. It showed two sisters getting ready for a night out for one of their 18th birthdays. Fiona recieves a new phone from her mother and in the car on the way to the party, the boy in the back of the car steals the phone off her. I order to retrieve it she undoes her seat belt and climbs over her seat, knocking the drivers arm. As you can guess it doesn't end well. 

Just as every service arrived at the scene in the video the screen faded and someone from that service walked onto the stage; explained what they have to do in that situation and what happens after as well as sharing a personal expirence of theirs. The police man that spoke to us about how he has to drive past the home of a mother who lost her child in a road accident that he broke the news of everyday of his life. The paramedic described one of his first expirences at the scene of an accident with the car hanging out of a tree and he had to check the driver who was still in the car with the engine implanted in his stomach; everytime he has to drive past that tree all he can see is the car hanging there. The firefighter witnesses her neighbour pass away in front of her after her collided with a tractor on his motorbike. I think the doctor scared us all. After explaining his role, he finished along the lines of "Remember my name, I'll be seeing you soon". It's not exactly the words you want to hear. 

Then came the personal expirences. 

First a young guy who couldn't remember anything that happened the night of his accident and was only piecing together the event from what other people told him. He ended up in hospital with multiple broken bones and damage to his brain; he had to teach himself to walk and speak again. 

Finally, a driving instructor walked out onto the stage. The thoughts in the room were that he was just going to tell us how to stay safe on the roads but he had his own story. Hi youngest daughter died in a car accident. As he explained what happened, how it effected his family at the time and how it still does now; I'm pretty sure it brought a tear to the eye of everyone in the room, including the guy on the stage. 

Personally I don't think the presentation has put me off learning to drive (others would disagree) but it has definitely scared me. 

Being one of the first in my year, the first in my family as well as living so far away from everyone I feel pressured in myself to try to pass first time

 

If you can drive, did you pass first time round? And do you have any driving tips or tricks?!

Esmee x