Road Crash Victims

Friday the 13th could prove to be a lucky day for a group of students in Wakefield as they are set to receive advice on staying safe when they take to the road as new young drivers.

Teenagers at Wakefield Girls High School will be given a talk by Jane Horton, a head and spinal injury expert based at Irwin Mitchell's Leeds office, about ensuring they don’t add to the toll of road crash victims.

The most up-to-date figures show that 11,489 drivers aged 17 to 19 are killed or injured on the UK’s roads per year.

They will see a film from road safety charity Brake highlighting the dangers faced by first-time drivers entitled 2young2die which covers topics like the importance of wearing seatbelts, driving at the correct speed and never driving when under the influence of drink or drugs.

Jane Horton said: "I deal everyday with cases where road collisions involving young drivers have ripped lives apart and this scheme makes it very clear what dangers they must be aware of and the action they need to take to avoid.

"My talk and the DVD draw on first-hand accounts of the impact these kind of incidents can have so the pupils at the school - who will either have just started or are ready to begin learning to drive - should come away from the talk with a real sense of the responsibility they take when getting behind the wheel.

"Hopefully that information will stand them in good stead not just as they set out on learning to drive but for many years to come."

Wakefield Girls High School headmistress Pat Langham added: "Learning to drive marks a significant point in a young person's life and while I know our pupils will already be aware of the potential dangers involved, this presentation will reinforce those risks and make them safer on the road."

Fiona Mortimer, General Manager from Brake added: "Road crashes cause devastation to families and local communities. The Brake and FedEx Academy 2young2die campaign is a hard-hitting way of reinforcing that message among teenage drivers which will help to keep them safe."