Image: Nottinghamshire Police
Hundreds of people 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.
Among the organisations taking part were Nottinghamshire Police, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and East Midlands Ambulance Service.
Sgt Shakeel Rasul, who helped organise the event, 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.”
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.
More than 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 buses.
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.
Station manager Dan Palmer, district prevention manager at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, 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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