The ‘Lost Love’ campaign intends to reduce the number of 17-24 year-olds who lose their lives on South Yorkshire’s roads every year.  A broken hearted male driver is shown hugging his girlfriend who has suffered severe injuries following a road collision caused by speeding.  The message for drivers is simple: “slow down save lives”.

Julian Cotton, Communications Manager for the Partnership, believes this age group is in grave danger: “Young and new drivers are extremely vulnerable, one in five newly qualified drivers crash in their first year of driving. Youthful exuberance combined with inexperience and inappropriate driving, like speeding, is a disastrous mix and that’s why this age group are disproportionately represented in road collisions,” he said.

Mrs Morton, Head of Post 16 at Dinnington Comprehensive School, is keen to champion the cause: “Road safety is important, especially amongst the 16-18 year-old age group.  Anything we can do to raise awareness about this important campaign is invaluable.  This is why we support the ‘Lost Love’ campaign,” she stated.

Julian Cotton, commenting on Mrs Morton’s commitment, remarked: “The number of young drivers involved in fatal and serious road accidents is quite startling. They account for 23% of all people killed on South Yorkshire’s roads.  That’s why the support of the teachers and students at Dinnington Comprehensive School and the other schools, colleges and universities in our region is very encouraging.

“It’s tremendous to know that the graphic nature of this campaign is hitting the mark with these young adults.  Many students were visibly shocked by the crash scene image; this is exactly the reaction we were looking for. 

“Hopefully, the slow down message will remain with these young drivers throughout their lives and especially during their early informative years behind the wheel when the risk of crashing is greatest,” he concluded.

Contact: JULIAN COTTON     Tel: 0114 296 1228

Notes to editors

The numbers of 17-24 year-olds killed and seriously injured on South Yorkshire’s roads since 2000.

Year    Total
2000   132
2001   153
2002   164
2003   196
2004   154
2005   176
2006* 131
* Provisional figures   

PHOTOGRAPH – Dinnington Comprehensive School Students Back The Campaign
From left to right: Ruth Booker, James Hutton, Ben Kilby and Cathie Prescott all Post-16 students at Dinnington Comprehensive School pictured with the campaign poster.