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Road safety campaign steps up with hard hitting seat belts message

The Illuminate campaign is now stepping up a gear in an attempt to reduce the number of fatalities on the roads of South Yorkshire.

The Safer Roads Partnership, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner and South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service are aiming to warn people of the dangers of not belting up through two hard-hitting radio advertisements.

Danny doesn’t wear a seatbelt to visit his local shop around the corner. When he crashed, the consequence of this is that he chokes from punctured lungs as a result of his broken ribs. Jenny is on the school run, again with no seatbelt, when an incoming text distracts her and she hits a stationary vehicle and travels to school, through the windscreen, over her bonnet and on to the road.

Both radio advertisements were deemed so shocking that they had to be toned down for the school run and drive time audiences.

Dr Alan Billings, South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner said: “It is not our intention to frighten people, but there is a very serious message here about people in motorised vehicles belting up every time.

“These advertisements do make you think of the consequences of not wearing a seatbelt. Sadly for many reasons, people tend to think it will not happen to them. Without a seatbelt what happens to Danny and Jenny, could happen to anyone.”

The advertisements created by Hallam FM will be aired throughout September and October on Hallam FM, Dearne FM, Rother FM and Trax FM.

Chief Inspector Glen Suttenwood, Joint Specialist Operations (uniform) for South Yorkshire and Humberside said: “We are still seeing a high number of fatalities and casualties as a result of collisions on South Yorkshire roads.

“Last year there were 49 fatalities within South Yorkshire and the figures this year are still very worrying. We need to raise awareness to drivers and their passengers about how important it is to belt-up. In a crash you are twice as likely to die if you don’t wear a seatbelt. Drivers and passengers who fail to wear seatbelts in the front and back of vehicles are breaking the law.

“Most crashes are as a result of some form of human error. Drivers can protect themselves, their passengers and others by following a few simple steps; always wear your seatbelt, don’t use a mobile phone whilst driving, stay within the speed limit and drive to the road conditions and don’t drink and drive. I ask everyone to help in reducing the number of people injured on the roads in South Yorkshire and urge all drivers and riders to take extra care and respect the needs of other road users”.

South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Area Manager Steve Helps said: “Every death on our roads is a tragedy, but it is even more keenly felt when it is a young person who loses their life. Safe driving is mostly common sense. So we’re asking people to drive at the appropriate speed, leave a decent gap between you and the vehicle in front and never, ever drink and drive. Not just during the duration of this campaign, but every single day.”

The original advertisements that include breaking bones and chilling sound effects can be heard on the South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner’s website here.

This content was last updated on September 06th, 2016