There are no better people to bring home the devastating reality of smashes on our roads than firefighters.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are now called to more traffic accidents than they are blazes.
And during UK Road Safety Week (June 9 - 15) officers are hosting events around West Yorkshire, including in Huddersfield schools.
“This week we will deliver a variety of striking messages to all road users, and in particular to pedestrians, young drivers, cyclists and motorcyclists,“ said accident prevention manager for West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Mohammed Ali.
“Deaths and injuries on the road affect not just the individual – the lives of families can be destroyed by losing a loved one, or transformed forever by having to care for a family member with life-changing injuries.
“We are working with a number of local partners during the week, including West Yorkshire Police and local authority Road Safety Teams.”
Click below to see a video released by Greater Manchester Police showing the danger of drink and drug driving with clips from incidents.
Figures show there were seven people killed and 141 left with life changing injuries on the roads of Kirklees in 2012.
In all, there were more than 1,400 casualties of accidents on the authority’s roads.
Road safety officials will visit Birkby Junior School this week on one of their many accident prevention sessions.
They will be giving road safety advice to parents, covering everything from the importance of seatbelts to parking advice outside schools to avoid the risks of a road traffic accident.
Superintendent Pat Casserly from West Yorkshire Police, added: “The road network is an essential part of our life for work and leisure. We take it for granted. We cannot take for granted the risks that distracted driving, complacent driving and excess speed present.
“Warm weather invites us to relax and lose concentration. We cannot do this when driving. Please, protect yourself and your loved ones by respecting the risks on the roads.”
“Virtually all road crashes involve human error and are avoidable,” said Alan Prosser, a director at the TTC Group, which runs many of the driver improvement courses on behalf of the police.
“Excess and inappropriate use of speed, impairments, not wearing seat belts and distractions are some of the main causes of deaths and serious injuries on our roads.
“Five people die on our roads every day and younger, inexperienced drivers are most at risk,” he added.
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