Saturday 9 November 2024
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Nottingham

Hundreds gather in Nottingham as mock car crash highlights risks of drink-driving

Hundreds gathered as police, fire and ambulance crews performed a live demonstration of what happens in a crash to raise awareness about road safety.

Old Market Square in Nottingham was closed off for the demonstration on Easter Saturday afternoon.

The emergency teams showed what happens when they are called to a crash and how they help those involved. On this occasion, they cut up and dismantled a vehicle in order to free a casualty.

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Among the organisations taking part were Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Sergeant Shakeel Rasul, of the Nottingham City Centre Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “The aim of the event was to highlight the dangers of drink and drug driving and show the vital work carried out by our emergency services.

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“It was a really successful event. We were fortunate to have really good weather and that helped attract a large crowd.

“This was also a first for such an event to be given permission by Nottingham City Council and the event shows the hard work all the partners undertook to make this happen.”

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Station Manager Dan Palmer, District Prevention Manager at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, thanked those who attended.

He said: “Dealing with fires is just one part of our role. We also attend road traffic collisions, sadly sometimes caused by drink or drug driving.

“Thank you to everyone who came along to see how we deal with cutting someone out of a car and to learn about the dangers of driving whilst under the influence of drugs or alcohol.”

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Among those who took part in the demonstration was Dom Judge, Community First Responder Training and Advisory Officer at East Midlands Ambulance Service, who performed CPR and provided medical care to the ‘casualty’.

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He said: “If someone suffers a cardiac arrest their chances of survival increase considerably if it happens in front of someone who starts CPR immediately.

“Using a defibrillator on a person experiencing cardiac arrest as soon as possible gives the best chance of survival.

“East Midlands Ambulance Service actively encourage the placement of Public Access Defibrillators by organisations, businesses and communities. The more readily available defibrillators are alongside people willing to act in an emergency will undoubtedly lead to improved survival rates for patients suffering out of hospital cardiac arrests.”

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The demonstration was part of Nottinghamshire Police’s Deadly Mix campaign, which was launched last year after data showed 263 people were injured or killed in a drink-related road traffic collision in Nottinghamshire between 2018 and 2020.

Over 2,000 posters and 5,000 beermats educating road users on the consequences of drink-driving were distributed to pubs all over Nottinghamshire as part of the campaign, with similar messaging running on the back of Nottingham City Transport buses as part of an advertising campaign.

An event was also held in Nottingham’s Trinity Square, where emergency teams engaged with the public and highlighted the dangers of getting behind the wheel when under the influence of drink or drugs.

•  Video: Emergency services simulate car crash rescue in Nottingham

•  Pictures: Emergency services car crash demonstration in Nottingham

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