Carlisle firefighters are using fast food to encourage young drivers to slow down.
Tomorrow (Saturday 10 November) from 8:00pm, fire crews will be teaming up with Burger King to offer free burgers and fries to young drivers who undertake a road awareness training session at the fast-food chain’s London Road outlet.
The site is a popular meeting place for young drivers and Burger King are providing a cordoned-off area of the restaurant where firefighters can deliver road awareness training, along with the free burgers and fries.
The training will include a hard-hitting film which is shown by Cumbria’s Fire & Rescue Service in schools and colleges around the county, in an effort to drive home the graphic consequences of dangerous driving.
Among young people, road collisions are the most common cause of accidental death in Cumbria, with 17-year-old male drivers seven times more likely to be involved in an accident than other age groups.
The event has been organised by Cumbria Fire & Rescue Service’s George Sansom and Crew Manager Anthony Rooney . Watch Manager Sansom said: "This is a popular hang-out for young drivers and an ideal place to deliver our road awareness training package.
"I’m delighted with the support we’ve been given by Burger King who have really gone the extra-mile to help make the event a success.
"On average, Cumbrian firefighters rescue ten times as many people from road accidents as they do from property fires.
"Reducing accidents on the county's roads means educating more people about the devastating consequences of neglecting driver safety- something this event will help us to do and I would urge all young drivers to attend as they really will find it of benefit to them."
ENDS
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