Pupils to be shown risks of dangerous driving

Licence to Kill is hosted by Guernsey's emergency services each year

Island pupils will be shown a "hard-hitting" road safety presentation to teach them about the fatal risks of dangerous driving.

Licence to Kill will show the consequences of speeding, drinking alcohol, not wearing a seatbelt and using mobile phones, which organisers call "the fatal four".

The initiative, produced by Guernsey Fire and Rescue Service, Guernsey Police and Guernsey’s Ambulance and Rescue Service, features footage of local crashes as well as interviews with victims and their families.

Guernsey Police's Roads Policing Officer Mat Du Port said the event, which begins on Wednesday, is about teaching Guernsey's next generation of drivers about the responsibility of getting behind the wheel.

Pupils in year 11 will soon be turning 17-years-old, which is the legal age to drive a car in Guernsey.

However, people as young as 14 can legally drive a moped on the island.

'Ruin a life'

"Driving is an activity most of us do every day, but if we don’t do it safely, it can also become one of the most dangerous activities we do," said Mr Du Port.

He added that the fatal four are the cause of most life-ending crashes and accidents.

Fire and Rescue Service Crew Commander Gavin Robins said Licence to Kill is designed to be hard-hitting.

"Driving is an amazing freedom for these young people but it is also a big responsibility, because it can put them at risk and other road users at risk," he said.

"The emergency services deal with crashes all year round, all of different seriousness, but it does not take much for a road traffic collision to completely change, or ruin, a life."

The Licence to Kill event will run from Wednesday to Friday at the Performing Arts Centre.