Last month's launch of Fife Fire and Rescue Service's Safe Drive Stay Alive Roadshow proved a resounding success, with hundreds of the region's school children visibly moved by the experience. So effective was the initiative, observers were adamant that this scheme should be rolled out throughout the UK, of which FIRE is in total agreement

Taken from Northern Ireland Fire Brigade's award winning Roadsafe Road show, operating for the last two years. Fife's Safe Drive Stay Alive Roadshow provided a devastating exposure for young drivers to be on the tragic consequences of speeding, with the aim of reducing the number of injuries and deaths on the roads. In File alone there were over 1,000 injuries and deaths last year with an estimated cost of over 157 million [pounds sterling].

The event was staged over a three day period to Fife's 4,000 fifth year pupils.

The impact of the roadshow has to be seen to he believed. Many young adults were moved to tears and the silence, which descends as the seriousness of the event dawns, is profound. Parents would demand their children see this.

The audience is worked by the DJ--local radio station Kingdom FM pumps out loud music, takes requests and provides a party atmosphere. Many are dancing in their seats, shouting, whistling, enjoying themselves as would be expected from a school outing to a 'Roadshow'

I he impact is not delivered instantly. A video is run showing youngsters preparing for a night out The mood swings radically as their car, travelling too fast, crashes at a round about, leaving a scene of devastation.

Actual testimony from police, fire, ambulance and an A&E consultant inter-cut the video, relating their experience of the accident and how such incidents affect not just them selves but also families of victims That real emergency workers are used adds to the impact; more so that their stories are personal, highly emotive and disturbing

To ram the message home, the mother of a road traffic casualty, Ann Munro, a road safety campaigner, and motorcycle accident victim Nicky Diatchenko, now in a wheelchair, related the devastation of their experiences. It is impossible not to be moved