Background
The chances are that if you have found this page you are either a new driver or will be thinking of learning to drive in the next year or two. That’s great and driving your own car ( or often mum or dad’s) can be fun and give you real independence. However, when you get hold of the keys for the first time and become everyone’s best friend remember that there’s something that you won’t find mentioned in the user manual.
As a young driver you are much more likely to be involved in a crash than any other road user. Last year 51 young drivers aged 17 to 24 were killed or seriously injured on Northamptonshire’s roads. That’s the lives of 51 people just like you who ended there and then or changed beyond comprehension.
You probably won’t think that it will be you though because you will be a safe driver and it always happens to idiots who don’t care anyway. Unfortunately this isn’t always the case. There are those who will always take risks but there are even more level headed people who make a moment’s bad judgement or lose concentration for only a second and the consequences last a lifetime. We want you to enjoy driving but more importantly we want you to enjoy the rest of your life.
So what is 2fast2soon then?
2fast2soon aims to highlight some of the causes of accidents which involve young drivers. Similar initiatives have been run elsewhere in the country and abroad but we have adapted it and, dare we say, improved it for young people in Northamptonshire.
The initiative is produced by a road safety partnership in Northamptonshire which is made up of organisations who have a serious interest in making sure you stay safe on the roads. They include Northamptonshire County Council, Northamptonshire Police, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue and The Ambulance Service. Together we make up Northamptonshire’s Casualty Reduction Partnership which has been working since 1999 to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI) on the County’s roads. Since 1999 there has been a 46% decrease in the number of young drivers killed or seriously injured within Northamptonshire.
This success has also brought recognition in the form of regular national and international road safety awards. In terms of enterprise and innovation we were awarded government Beacon Status in 2006, one of only six authorities or partnerships to be recognised as a centre of excellence in terms of reducing road casualties.
Despite this success, the Partnership is still striving to bring down the number of young drivers involved in road collisions even further. As mentioned above, 43 young drivers were seriously injured and 8 were killed on Northamptonshire’s roads last year. This is still too many. We hope that 2fast2soon goes some way to influence your attitude and behaviour on the road and ultimately make you a better and safer driver.
