Public-Private partnership: Expanding the road safety education journey through secondary school
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS), took the opportunity to review and redefine their road safety delivery.
In addition to interventions such as Survive the Drive for the MoD and local delivery of the national Biker Down programme, DWFRS lead on young driver education in partnership with Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership and Dorset Road Safe.
For over a decade, Safe Drive, Stay Alive was and continues to be a flagship product which almost all secondary schools and colleges across Dorset and Wiltshire book to view.
Prior to the pandemic, kind sponsors Arval UK, funded development of a lesson using Virtual Reality and PSHE lessons using bespoke animations. DWFRS are now proud to offer seven interventions to secondary schools, five of which are available for free nationally through TES.com, as part of a suite of education.
Christine Sharma, Road Safety Manager, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service
Christine Sharma is the Road Safety Manager for Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service (DWFRS), overseeing road safety education since August 2019.
In collaboration with Swindon & Wiltshire Road Safety Partnership and Dorset Road Safe, DWFRS lead on educating young drivers to understand the potential consequences of poor decisions and risky behaviour, empowering students with strategies and tools to make good choices and enjoy the freedom driving affords.
A graduate in Law, Christine has specialised in working with NEET and vulnerable 12-24 year olds for 12 years within the public sector, adopting various education approaches and behaviour change models.
Based in Trowbridge, with an HGV licence, Christine wonders whether she is the only road safety professional in the UK without her own transport but is happy to play her part towards achieving a greener, more sustainable future.