Thousands benefit from road safety event

Safe Drive Stay Alive is held each year and aims to highlight road dangers to young people.

By combining real life experiences with an emotive film, the show leaves the audience in little doubt how a mistake or lapse in concentration can change lives forever.

Just under 5,500 pupils from Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen City and Moray were bussed to the show at the Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen with their teachers over four days last month.

And this year’s public show was the best attended ever, with around 500 members of the community coming along to an evening performance.

More than 80,000 people saw or interacted with social media content around Safe Drive Stay Alive, ensuring road safety messages reached a far wider audience than just those who saw the show live.

The whole production and the safety messages it conveys to the community could not have happened unless a number of generous local sponsors had stepped in.

Safe Drive Stay Alive has been attended by all senior school pupils in the north-east of Scotland for the last eleven years.

It faced an uncertain future early this year when the oil and gas downturn led to the withdrawal of its main sponsors, but a successful appeal was made in the local community.

Nexen Petroleum UK came forward as the principal sponsor of this year’s event, alongside Suncor, an integrated energy company.

Digby Brown Solicitors continued as sponsors and two local firms also came on board for the first time – hauliers ARR Craib Transport and metal recyclers John Lawrie Group.

Aberdeenshire Community Safety Partnership chairman, Douglas Milne, praised the efforts of everyone involved in bringing the show together.

“A lot of work by a lot of people goes on behind the scenes to put on a hard-hitting production like this, for the benefit of the wider community,” he said.

“Our sincerest thanks go to those members of the emergency services who give up their time to participate and also to the parents who have added greatly to the show over the years by sharing their memories of tragic collisions involving their children, which are often heartbreaking and always emotional, but which leave a lasting impression on anyone who sees the show.

“The people involved make this show, but we couldn’t bring it to such a big audience without the generosity and kind-heartedness of our sponsors, to whom we are forever grateful.”

Preparations are now underway for next year’s show, but if you were at this year’s show, the organisers are keen to know what you thought.

A short survey has been set up to help improve the show in future years and the SDSA team would welcome any feedback: http://bit.ly/SDSAsurvey

Safe Drive Stay Alive Grampian is a partnership between Aberdeenshire Council, Aberdeen City Council, Moray Council, Police Scotland, Scottish Ambulance Service, NHS Grampian and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

If you are interested in sponsoring Safe Drive Stay Alive in the future or want to have a conversation about how you could contribute, email: [email protected]