Young people across County Durham are being reminded of key road safety lessons.
Durham County Council’s road safety team has been working alongside partners at Durham Constabulary and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service to deliver sessions about the risks young people can face as passengers.
The sessions took place ahead of Road Safety Week (16 to 22 November).
Throughout the week, the road safety team will be working with police and fire colleagues to deliver young driver and passenger sessions at New College Durham, Barnard Castle School and UTC College at Newton Aycliffe.
Between 2020 and 2024, road casualty data showed that 158 people between the ages of 11 and 20 were injured while they were a passenger in a car, and a further 78 were hurt whilst riding or being a passenger on a motorbike.
With some residents also reporting concerns around the use of off-road and quad bikes by young people across County Durham, the local authority and its partners are committed to reducing road-related risks.
Collaborative working between the road safety and education teams at the local authority resulted in 50 students from the county’s alternative provision providers attending sessions on motorbike and car passenger safety.
These focused on the importance of wearing safety equipment, the impact and potential consequences of illegally riding motorbikes and the potential risks to passengers caused by speeding, not wearing a seatbelt, and drink and drug driving.
Cllr Tim McGuinness, Cabinet member for rural, farming and transport, said: “It has been fantastic to see young people across County Durham engage with these road safety sessions and learn more about the risks of motorbikes and being a passenger in a car with a young driver.
“It’s so important that we continue to raise awareness of these dangers and help our young people make more informed decisions about what they do and how they choose to travel. We are very grateful to all the partners involved in these sessions and we hope young people help to spread these key messages to their peers.”
