Four vans are to display artwork warning of the dangers of speeding, using mobile phones while driving, not wearing a seatbelt and drinking and driving.
They are being unveiled on Monday, April 14, at Fire Service Headquarters in Birmingham as part of a week of events being staged by the Birmingham Road Safety Partnership.
Operations Commander Alan Pellowe, West Midlands Fire Service’s Strategic Lead for Road Safety, said: “Every day, the blue-light agencies are responding to injuries resulting from road related incidents, all of which have a major impact on those involved and their families.
“Driving any vehicle is a huge responsibility and people have to be aware of the dangers every time they take the wheel.
“These vans will be operating in the known accident hot-spot areas and people will see these messages right in front of them on the road, making everyone think more about how to stay safe.”
As well as Monday’s launch event, the Road Safety Week will also involve joint initiatives by firefighters and police. In one example, Police will be targeting drivers responsible for traffic offences in a hotspot area. Fire Service personnel will be on hand to educate motorists about the outcomes and tragedy resulting from road crashes.
On Thursday, April 17, Fire Service personnel will be at Sandwell Academy giving a hard-hitting presentation called ‘Your Choice: On the Road’. This confronts young people with the consequences of dangerous driving and encourages them to take responsibility for their actions.
The week’s events will culminate with a display in Birmingham city centre on Saturday featuring a car that has been involved in an RTC. Representatives from the agencies involved in the Birmingham Road Safety Partnership, including the Fire Service; Police, Ambulance, Birmingham Community Safety Partnership and Birmingham City Council engineers and road safety officers, will be on hand to talk to shoppers about all aspects of road safety.
Paul Guyver, West Midlands Fire Service’s Road Casualty Reduction Officer, said: “A lot of what we do is designed to be hard-hitting and we make no apologies for applying shock tactics as we need to get these messages across.
“A lot of problems on the roads are down to people’s attitudes towards driving. They think it can’t happen to them, or that it is better to speed than be late, or that they can’t afford to miss an important phone call.
“Our message is simple: if you drive dangerously or in an anti-social way, you are risking your life and the lives of other people and that is not acceptable.”