Safe Drive Stay Alive: what’s being done to tackle road deaths among young people in Greater Manchester

A hard-hitting road safety project is back for its ninth year to educate young people on the dangers of reckless driving. Safe Drive Stay Alive brings Manchester emergency service workers and bereaved families together to perform to people who have just reached driving age.

The stage performance includes first-hand accounts of real life fatal road traffic collisions, onscreen re-enacted events, and emotional accounts from bereaved loved ones.

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.

PC Nicola Heap from GMP said: “Keeping people safe on our roads is our absolute priority and Safe Drive Stay Alive helps us to deliver an important and potentially life-saving message to our next generation of drivers.

“Far too many people are killed and seriously injured on our roads. Knocking on a door to tell somebody their loved one has been involved in a collision is something that no police officer ever wishes to do, but unfortunately is something that is all too common.

“The people that take to the stage are not actors; they are real people with real stories to tell. Each person on stage is there because they want to prevent anybody else experiencing the same heartbreak that they have endured, and I am incredibly proud and grateful for the courage shown by each of them.”

We went down to watch the event and speak to people involved.