Wouldn’t it be great if we could help reduce or even eliminate the crash rates for young drivers?
Road crashes are the biggest killer of young people. In 2009, 11 young people were killedand 125 more were seriously injured every week in Great Britain.
Chris Dale was one of those killed. He was hit as he crossed a road in Oldham by a young speeding driver, showing off to his 2 female passengers. Read a news article about the incident here.
Charlotte Kilroy & Chantel Birtwistle of Oldham Youth Council decided something needed to be done. They, along with Chris’ sister, Becca Dale created ‘Every Life Matters – The Chris Dale Campaign’ (ELM).
They have campaigned tirelessly with fantastic results. After 8 deaths on the same stretch of road, ELM succeeded in their campaign for not one but two speed cameras to be erected close to where Chris and others were killed.
Another of the brilliant achievements of the ELM campaign is ‘The Split Second’, a play that follows 3 friends and an event that changes all their lives. It’s hard-hitting, powerful and relates fantastically with its target audience of young people. It’s touring schools and colleges around Oldham, has generated much interest and is having a profound effect on the students that see it. Read a press article about the play here.
So what difference can driving instructors make? Well, we’re in a unique position to help young people make the right decisions. Telling them what to do and not do doesn’t work, so what can we do instead?
Oldham Theatre workshop have kindly agreed to a special showing of The Split Second, exclusively for driving instructors. To experience it first hand was my biggest motivation for getting involved. You will understand when you see it that we can’t just sit back and hope our students will stay safe when they pass their driving test. We need to be proactive. The special instructors’ showing will be followed by a short workshop and discussion. We want to hear your experiences of what you feel works and your ideas on what could work. We need to make a difference and collectively, we can.
The special instructors’ showing of The Split Second is on Wednesday 23rd February 2011 at 7pm at Oldham Theatre Workshop. Admission is free, although any donations to the ELM campaign would be gratefully accepted.
There are limited places so please book your place as soon as possible by emailing me via our contact page.
