Young drivers to see crashed car

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Teenagers are being targeted by Strathclyde firefighters in a bid to reduce the number of young people killed and injured on Scotland's roads.

A total of 30,000 fifth and sixth year students at every secondary school in Strathclyde will take part in the Cut It Out campaign.

Firefighters will take a crashed car to the schools to highlight the harsh realities of road accidents.

Every day in Scotland an average of 16 young drivers are involved in crashes.

Young male drivers are 17 times more likely to be killed or injured than older drivers.

Cut it Out is based on a successful pilot scheme run by Strathclyde Fire & Rescue in a number of local authority areas.

Video clips

Students will take part in a multi-media programme which focuses on interaction and discussion on the consequences of speeding, drink driving and the importance of wearing seat belts.

They will also be shown video clips, one of which features an interview with a teenage girl who suffered serious burns in a road traffic collision.

The launch will coincide with the United Nation's first Global Road Safety Week and features new posters which depict the wreckage of a road accident and underline the greater risk run by teenagers who take to the road.

During an Acpos (Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland) road safety "day of action" on Monday, 27 drivers under the age of 26 were caught speeding by Scottish forces and 58 were caught not wearing seatbelts.

A further 15 under 26-year-olds were involved in road crashes, resulting in injuries.

A 16-year-old passenger died in a crash in Ayrshire. A 17-year-old was driving the car.