PC Shelley Marshall from Sawbridgeworth Neighbourhood Policing Team along with Dave Devoil from Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service gave some of our Year 12 students a heartfelt and compelling presentation this morning on the importance of driving safely and what happens in the event of a road traffic collision in which a person is trapped inside a vehicle.

Having recently both been in attendance at fatal road traffic collisions in recent weeks, Shelley and Dave appealed to the students to consider the responsibilities they face when being in control of a vehicle and gave a LIVE demonstration of what can happen at the scene of a collision from the perspective of our emergency services.

Whilst they were outlining the procedures and decision making involved in dealing with such a scenario, members of the Sawbridgeworth Fire Brigade demonstrated the processes LIVE on a vehicle on the playground.

Students saw how the fire service will initially stabilise the vehicle before removing the window glass to prevent further injuries.  Having then assessed where it is safe to cut through the sections of the vehicle, the firefighters proceeded to remove the driver's door and boot lid before cutting off the roof in order to most quickly and safely access an injured and/or trapped person(s) inside.

Reiterating the message of road and driver safety, students saw, first-hand, the consequences of careless driving, drink/drug driving, being distracted by a mobile phone whilst driving and speeding.

It was an eye-opening and thought-provoking demonstration which gave our students, many of whom will soon be learning to drive, not only an insight into the consequences of careless driving but also an opportunity to see the impact of such incidents from the perspective of those who we rely on to save lives on a daily basis.

#drivetoarrive #NeighbourhoodPolicingWeek #LoveLev

@Sawbo_Fire_C27

@EastHertsPolice