A POWERFUL lesson in road safety was delivered to hundreds of school students thanks to a Rugby campaigner whose 16-year-old daughter was tragically killed when a driver mounted the pavement.
The Safe Drive Stay Alive (SDSA) show was held at Rugby School’s Temple Speech Room before an audience of 400 sixth-formers.
Launched in the UK in 2000, the stage show was introduced to Rugby School in 2017 by George Atkinson – who has campaigned for better road safety education for young people since his daughter Livia died at the age of 16 in 1998 when a driver mounted the pavement and ran her over.
The SDSA show uses testimonies from crash survivors, the bereaved, and officers in the emergency services about their experiences – to show young drivers why they are vulnerable in their early years on the road, and what they can do to improve safety.
Lisa Greatwood, Head of Wellbeing at Rugby School, said: “The SDSA presentation is a hugely informative, innovative and impactful way to bring home the responsibility that every driver has when on the road.”
Chiedza Mupfumira, Social Impact Specialist of event sponsors Cemex, said: “We acknowledge the individual responsibility each of us bears in upholding road safety. The underlying message we aim to convey through this program is to inspire a lasting commitment among new and young drivers to actively contribute to the safety of our roads.”
Rugby MP Mark Pawsey, a supporter of SDSA, added: “George has done a great job in creating this initiative and highlighting the things that those who are new behind the wheel need to watch out for when driving. The show will undoubtedly have helped to save lives.”
George Atkinson thanked Cemex and Rugby School for supporting the initiative.
