School drama brings seatbelt perils to life

Teenagers across Oxfordshire will be targeted in the latest bid to teach people about the dangers of not wearing a seatbelt when travelling in a car.

More than 3,000 students in 18 Oxfordshire secondary schools will be given the chance to view a play that has been specifically written to highlight the issue of non seatbelt wearing.

The play will be staged by experts from Theatre in Education who specialise in creating drama to bring important issues to life for school children. Oxfordshire County Council's Road Safety Team is responsible for setting up the events.

The particular show that is planned tells the true story of a young female car passenger who is severely disfigured when she is thrown through the windscreen, and how her life is changed as a result.

Statistics show that around half of the people killed in road accidents were not wearing seatbelts. Around eight out of ten of those people would have survived had they been wearing a seatbelt.

Youngsters become responsible for putting their own seatbelt on after the age of 14. Before then the driver is responsible for making sure this is done.