Hundreds of people had a lesson in road safety as emergency service workers dealt with a crash in Sutton town centre.
In a staged incident a car swerved to avoid a pedestrian and crashed into a second vehicle. This was driven by someone who had been drinking alcohol and neither he nor his front seat passenger was wearing a seatbelt.
As Ashfield Fire Station manager Keith Elliott explained, the two people in the second car suffered more serious injuries than the first as a result of not wearing seatbelts. He also pointed out that the reactions of the driver had been slowed as a result of his drinking.
The incident, which took place on Friday 31 May 2014, had been planned and staged by Ashfield Community Safety Partnership to demonstrate the impact of some of the main causes of serious and fatal traffic collisions on Ashfield’s roads.
The project was led by Nottinghamshire Police Sergeant Martin Severn along with partners including Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue, Ashfield District Council’s Licensing Officer, and Nottinghamshire County Council.
Street pastors from Hucknall attended throughout the exercise to provide support to anyone affected by it.
Sgt Severn said: “The exercise certainly attracted a lot of attention, with, we estimate, between 500 and 600 people watching.
“We had officers handing out leaflets and chatting with passers-by about what was happening as well as to those who stayed to watch. News about the event has been circulated widely on social media too so we are confident we achieved our aim of raising awareness about things that can lead to collisions and injuries caused by them.”
Fire Officer Elliott, who provided a running commentary throughout the exercise, added: “There has been a tragic number of fatalities on the roads of North Nottinghamshire in recent months.
“I hope that those who came along and who have seen the publicity associated with this piece of work take away some important information from it. It really could save their lives.”
The Ashfield Community Safety Partnership exercise followed a three-day police operation targeting dangerous drivers in Ashfield.