Come and Meet your local road hero at Southampton’s family road safety education day

Meet your local road hero at Southampton’s family road safety education day Southampton City Council, in partnership with local emergency and rescue services, are hosting a special event in Guildhall Square on Saturday 7 May between 10am and 3pm to raise awareness of road safety. There will be a chance to meet local road heroes with paramedics, air ambulance crews, police officers, fire and rescue teams, doctors and nurses all in attendance. The event is free of charge and open to all, with a host of fun and educational activities designed to educate children and parents alike on the dangers of the road, how to stay safe and what to do in an emergency. Free activities on offer • Learn how to be a safe pedestrian • Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) techniques • Test out injury special effects make up and get your arm put in a plaster-cast • See for yourself what happens at a crash scene • Be part of a trauma team • See what effect “Beer goggles” have on you • See how well you know your road signs • See how well you can cross the road • Learn what to say when you dial 999 • Drivers – test your reaction times when you’re distracted in the car • Meet the “Giggle Doctors” Every year 17,000 children in the UK are injured by road accidents. Around 2,000 have life changing injuries or die as a result of road accidents. We’re trying to inspire the next generation of road heroes and kick start the conversation about road safety. The aim is to get families learning together and understanding the importance of road safety education, the work of emergency teams involved and that the consequences of injury can be long term and devastating for individuals and families. This is not just for pedestrians but for passengers, cyclists and drivers too. Dr Bob Coates, Interim Director of Public Health at Southampton City Council said: “Education work is vital in preventing road traffic incidents and the devastating consequences they have on families. I can think of no better way to get the message across than getting local heroes in emergency response teams to teach children and adults how to stay safe in a fun, accessible way.” Louise Kovacs, CYP Education and Safer Roads Manager at Hampshire Fire & Rescue Service said: “””Everyday children and young people across Hampshire get seriously injured or killed as a result of being involved in a road traffic collision. Whilst HFRS are experts in the extrication of casualties, HFRS is supporting this community Safety event as they are passionate about the preventative measures and in turn promoting Safer Road Users. Rob Heard, Road Safety Sergeant at Hampshire Constabulary said: “This will be a valuable event which is enjoyable to all the family. We all need to be safe on the road and this a perfect opportunity to understand why and what we can all do to be safe.”