Car wreck student says ‘never again’
A SIXTH former was cut free from the wreckage of a car by firefighters while fellow students watched on.
Fortunately, John Cleveland Sixth Form Centre student Jake Rickels was taking part in an educational presentation and was not harmed.
He had been positioned in an already damaged vehicle to demonstrate how it would feel to be cut free following a car crash and was carried to ‘safety’ on a medical back-board by class-mates.
The aim of the experience was to encourage new, young drivers to drive with care and to avoid the ‘fatal four’ driving dangers of speeding, driving while drunk or under the influence of drugs, not wearing a seatbelt and being distracted by devices such as mobile phones.
Jake said: “Being cut out of the car was quite a surreal experience, like something you’d see on a television programme.
“The fire service were incredibly efficient and reassuring but it was still quite frightening.
“It’s definitely something that I wouldn’t want to experience again.”
The mock-up was part of an interactive programme staged at the Butt Lane college jointly by representatives of Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council’s community safety team, Leicestershire Police and the county’s Road Safety Partnership.
Community safety educator Colin Hope said: “It’s about making some really obvious points about what not to do when driving.
“It’s a really important message: Don’t drink, don’t use your phone, don’t eat, keep distractions to a minimum and wear your seatbelt.
“We used presentations and interactive displays to illustrate the consequences.”
Students also had the chance to test their reactions, experience driving using virtual headsets and to talk with firefighters and police officers.
Displays and quizzes led by the borough council’s team addressed the consequences of misusing alcohol and students were encouraged to make mocktails as a way of learning how to measure units of alcohol.