A HARD-HITTING campaign to warn students of the dangers of driving has been launched by Cleveland Fire Brigade.

Firefighters were at Hartlepool College Further Education College today (Monday) to show young drivers the consequences of dangerous driving as part of their ‘Learn and Live’ road safety presentation.

The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Tune in to road safety’ which is designed to encourage motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to stay focussed.

Les Jones, head of community safety with Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: “Driver distraction is a major cause of death and serious injury on our roads. Driving is the most dangerous thing that most of us do on a daily basis and requires your full attention.

“We’ll be particularly appealing to young drivers to tune in to road safety by turning off their phones while driving and never attempt to multi-task at the wheel. However, the campaign is not just about targeting motorists; cyclists, joggers and pedestrians also need to concentrate fully to avoid placing themselves and others in danger.”

The Brigade is working closely with Cleveland Police, the North East Ambulance Service and Council Road Safety Teams, demonstrating that road crashes are sudden, violent events that rip families apart by ending lives too soon or cause life-changing injuries, leading to terrible suffering.

The next roadshow will be tomorrow (Tuesday November 19) between 11am to 3pm at Redcar & Cleveland College, then on Wednesday from 10am to 4pm at Stockton Riverside College and Thursday and Friday between 10am to 4pm at Middlesbrough College.