MORE than 5,000 Oxfordshire sixth formers and college students are set to attend a special event to learn about the devastating impact of being involved in a car crash.

Drivers in the county aged 17 to 24 make up about one in eight drivers on the road but are almost twice as likely to be involved in road traffic incidents that result in death or injury.

Safe Drive Stay Alive has been organised by the road safety team at the county council’s fire service.

At the event at the King’s Centre, in Osney Mead, which runs from today until Friday, emergency service personnel, young survivors, and parents who have lost a child will tell real-life stories of the devastation caused by dangerous driving.

Stories will be brought to life on stage to educate young people on the importance of being safe on the road.

Andy Ford, road safety manager for the fire service, said: “Poor choices as a driver, such as driving a bit too fast for the road conditions, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or being distracted by a text message can have terrible consequences.

“All of these factors increase the risk of a collision, and if you’re not wearing a seatbelt the odds of being killed or suffering life changing injuries increases enormously.

“As well as a message for those in the audience, we would like to remind parents and carers that they have a part to play as role models.”

A video production will show a scenario of a group of young people on a night out whose car is involved in a serious crash.

As the on-screen drama unfolds, members of the emergency services that are featured in the film step out onto the stage.

The film is then paused while emergency service workers talk about their experiences. Visit the website safedrive.org.uk