‘Licence to Kill’ talk a stark warning for pupils
A HARD-HITTING road safety talk aimed at reducing speeding and careless driving is being presented to Guernsey’s Year 11 students this week.
The presentation, Licence to Kill, brings together Guernsey Police, St John Emergency Ambulance Service and Guernsey Fire & Rescue to demonstrate the devastating consequences of road traffic collisions.
‘Licence to Kill is a reminder that just because they’ve passed their test, they aren’t suddenly able to drive at speed, or when drunk or under the influence of drugs,’ said roads policing unit officer Matthew Du Port.
‘People think Guernsey roads equal safe roads. This year [with two fatal accidents and several serious ones) proves that not to be the case, and we want to show in the starkest possible terms what can happen when people decide not to take road safety seriously.
'After passing their test they are given a licence to drive – not a licence to kill.’
The sessions feature footage of local accidents and interviews with victims and their families.
‘Very sadly we have seen a number of serious road traffic collisions in the past year, where people have been seriously hurt and in two cases young people have died as a result of crashes,’ said emergency ambulance service paramedic Dean Robilliard.
‘We want our roads to be safer for everyone and I hope that this presentation will have a positive impact on the next generation of young drivers.’
The aim is not only to raise awareness, but also change attitudes, said firefighter Gavin Robins.
‘As the ones who attend crashes we know how they can affect people, so while the message is hard hitting, we are empathetic to people’s feelings and we encourage young people to talk about the issues after the presentation.
‘Once the students leave the theatre it is over to them to put these lessons into practice, because we really don’t want to come across them at the next crash scene.’
Richard Clarke, managing director of sponsor Rossborough Group, said: ‘We recognise the extensive benefits of educating young students on how dangerous the roads can be and how easily accidents can happen – our aim is to spread this message to as many young motorists as we can.’
