New ‘Road Safety Experience’ will open next year

12.00 | 1 April 2015 | | 8 comments

Kent Fire & Rescue Service is developing what it describes as the UK’s “first purpose built, interactive (road safety education) centre”.

Currently under construction on the same site as the new Rochester Fire Station, the ‘Road Safety Experience’ is scheduled to open by Easter 2016.

The Road Safety Experience is being developed to help young people learn from the experience of others and improve their safety, and equip them to make “better decisions in all driver and passenger situations”.

The experience will comprise a combination of “powerful stories, exciting interactive experiences and information from experienced road safety experts” to encourage young people to look at the potential consequences of a collision from all perspectives – themselves, their passengers, other drivers and their families.

It will be provided free of charge to all schools, colleges and groups in Kent and Medway, and will accommodate supervised education visits, lasting five hours, for groups of up to 85 young people. It will also be available to youth groups.

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    Is this available for private individuals and families?


    Alasdair Brooks, South Mimms
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    It’s great that new ideas and designs are being produced but surly building this in one site and not making the whole experience mobile reduces the number of visitors that could attend, unless the fire service intends to fund bussing in visitors?


    Liam, Essex
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    These centres are very welcome and are needed, but it is also a shocking indictment on the appalling standard of current driver training in the UK, which has some of most inadequate instructors in Western Europe, especially when compared to those in Scandinavia and Germany.

    Most UK ADIs are completely out of their depth. The results of this inadequacy are seen on the roads every day, carnage here there and everywhere. Not many people know that less than fully qualified so-called instructors are permitted to give lessons and then fail their final exams, leaving learners up the creek without a paddle, as well as versed in poor driving skills.


    ADI of some considerable experience
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    Looks like it will be an incredibly innovative facility – 21st century road safety education is truly on its way. Kent Fire & Rescue should be proud – well done to all involved.


    Mark – Wiltshire
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    Readers might like to be made aware of a similar facility at ‘Dangerpoint’ in Flintshire, N Wales – which has been running for about ten years, focussing on child safety indoors and outdoors, having mock-ups of various potentially hazardous environments including: a ‘road’ (with traffic signals, zebra crossing and vehicles); a house; farmyard; workshop; the seaside; a bus and a train carriage(!) etc. all individually set up to be able to educate children on how to be safe in these settings – plus driving simulators and the usual lecture facilities.

    It’s a while since I was last there, so best check out the video on their website: http://www.dangerpoint.org.uk


    Hugh Jones, Cheshire
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    This looks fantastic, I would love to have something similar in Hertfordshire. What was the cost and was it funded by the authority?


    Deana Frost Hertfordshire
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    Would love to see the motorcycle diaries. I could write for them…

    Wish them well.


    Bob Craven Lancs…Space is Safe Campaigner
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    Large enough to accommodate 90 odd people and sufficiently varied to keep all interested for 5 hours. Sounds like a large enterprise and lot of work must have gone into this. All the best of luck!


    Dave Finney, Slough
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