The seminar takes place today at Longley Park Sixth Form College in Sheffield for students aged 16 to 19 and is aimed specifically at the emerging generation of new drivers.
An objective is to bring together the knowledge and expertise of all emerge
ncy services to provide a powerful demonstration to youngsters of the real consequences of road accidents and provide advice on how to keep themselves safe.
The presentation has been deliberately designed to be hard-hitting and will feature firefighters, police, paramedics and neurosurgeons and young crash victims.
About 500 students, and staff, are expected to take part in the event, which will also include presentations from the organ transplant and blood transfusion services.
Robert Ellis, estates and operations manager at Longley Park Sixth Form College, said: "It is essential that young and new drivers are made aware of the serious consequences of speeding and driving irresponsibly and this hard-hitting roadshow aims to convey these key messages using real life, emotive experiences.
"The presentations and DVD footage are extremely powerful but if they can influence young people to become better drivers the event will ultimately be successful in educating our students and helping to save more lives on South Yorkshire roads."
Under new legislation fire services have a duty to protect public safety in terms of road crashes and the event reflects their new preventative role.
Karen Swanston, education and awareness coordinator at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "Historically the police, local authorities and charities such as the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have been primarily responsible for road safety protection and education. However, we believe the fire service's wide array of skills, knowledge and experience in such incidents makes us ideally placed to make a significant contribution."
She said the roadshow was "a great opportunity to reach a wide number of young drivers by working with the local college and key partners and sharing best practice with other emergency services".
