On Friday, (May, 13) the Honiton Fire station welcomed young farmers to talk about all things road safety.

The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service road safety team, supported by the Devon and Cornwall Police, delivered education on driving behaviours and shared tools on how to be a safer driver.

The Dower Street fire station uses data-led information to share statistics on how young drivers in rural areas are at higher risk of being involved in a collision and by using case studies, virtual reality and small workshops to help prevent road traffic collisions (RTCs).

The evening consisted of wearing VR headsets which played a case study of three friends messing around in a car, the car spins out of control and the wearers are shown the aftermath of a collision, being cut out by the emergency services and carted off in an ambulance.

This kind of shock treatment is to show young drivers how to drive safer as they are more inexperienced on the roads after passing their test.

A spokesperson for Honiton Fire Station said: "We have seen an increase in RTCs across our regions of Devon and Somerset.

"In particular around Honiton. We are well trained to deal with these incidents when they happen. but they’re all preventable.

"We are working hard with the police and local councils to understand why these incidents are happening and help prevent them. We are asking all drivers to take more care on the roads."

Honiton firefighter offered the following advice:

  • Most RTC’s are within 10 miles of people's homes.
  • Plan your journey to allow sufficient time. Enjoy your drive.
  • Please don’t be distracted by your mobile phone or passengers. You need to be ready to react in an emergency situation.
  • Make sure you’re fit to drive, this includes not being fatigued.
  • Be courteous and respectful to all motorists and road users.
  • Look twice for bikes