New road safety workshops for Shropshire’s young drivers

Shropshire Council’s sustainable travel team and West Mercia Police’s road safety team have joined forces to deliver a new young driver and passenger digital workshop to 16-18 year-olds.

The ‘Greenlight’ young driver and passenger road safety education workshop will be offered for free to all sixth forms, colleges, and schools across the Shropshire Council area, having been delivered to sixth form and college students in Herefordshire and Worcestershire by West Mercia Police for over 10 years.

It’s being offered to students in Shropshire for the first time following a review into road safety education delivery.

The virtual workshop focuses on four young people’s perspectives on the collision they are all involved in and the potential choices they could have made to prevent it. Content is based around the ‘fatal four’ causation factors – speed, drink/drug driving, mobile phones, and seatbelts – as well as other issues such as inexperience and passenger responsibility.

New content has been added factoring in the safe and appropriate use of new technologies in vehicles, advice on driving safely in adverse weather, and general safety advice appropriate to the rural context of Shropshire.

A member of the council’s sustainable travel team presents the digital workshop alongside a roads policing officer from West Mercia Police. The officer discusses the legal responsibilities on drivers and riders as well as their own story of policing the roads, attending collision scenes, and acting as family liaison officer.

Students will be given essential safety advice to use when starting to drive or ride, or when they are travelling as a passenger with friends who have passed their driving test.

Kirstie Hurst-Knight, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for children and education, said:

“We want to do all we can to keep our young people safe on the roads. I’m very pleased that we’ve joined up with West Mercia Police to deliver this free and really important workshop to 16-to-18 year-olds across the Shropshire Council area. I hope as many school and colleges as possible will sign up to help keep their students safe.”

Superintendent Stuart Bill from West Mercia Police said:

“We are extremely pleased to work alongside Shropshire Council to introduce the Greenlight young driver and passenger education programme to Shropshire.

“Almost 50,000 young people have taken part in the workshop in Worcestershire and Herefordshire over the last 12 years and we hope to reach even more going forward to raise awareness of the positive choices that young people can make – as both drivers and passengers – to stay safe on the roads.

“Newly qualified or younger drivers unfortunately do feature highly in our collision statistics so road safety education and enforcement of the law both remain key priorities for us to keep our communities safe.”

Schools or colleges wishing to show this film to their Year 11, 12 or 13s should email sustainabletravelplanning@shropshire.gov.uk or visit the Shropshire Council website.