Play spreads the message: ‘Don’t hurt the one you love’

A road safety play which centres around a fatal collision involving a young male driver who kills his girlfriend will be performed at a college in Cambridge later this month.

The play, written by Sarah Borley in collaboration with Cambridgeshire County Council’s road safety team, is based on the long-established For My Girlfriend campaign.

First developed in the late 1990s for Road Safety GB Eastern Region, For My Girlfriend used Valentines Day to deliver a reminder to young females of the dangers they can face when travelling in a car driven by their boyfriend.

At the time it courted controversy by using a Valentine’s Card to deliver a message from a young driver to his deceased girlfriend who had died while he was at the wheel. The campaign was awarded a Prince Michael Road Safety Award in 2004.

The play of the same name showcases the wider effects of a road traffic collision from the “mundane” to the emotional consequences of losing a loved one.

Sarah Borley said: “It’s not just about the accident, the driver and the passengers, it’s about the witnesses, the ambulance service, the police, the hospital staff, the people who are late for work because the accident has closed the road. 

“For many of the characters it is ‘just another day at work’ but for the parents and friends directly involved their lives are changed forever in an instant.”

The play features performing arts students from Cambridge Regional College, where it will be performed on 26 February.

Sarah Borley added: “The performing arts students have embraced this project and it has had an immediate effect on their own personal behaviour regarding getting into a car as either a driver or passenger.”

There is a post-performance workshop in which the audience are encouraged to discuss the issues raised in the play with the cast, road safety professionals and the emergency services.

For more information contact Sarah Borley or to book tickets for the performance ring 01223 418312. The ticket price is £4.50 and all proceeds will be donated to the Road Victims Trust.