AN ?Impact Day? held at Okehampton College over half-term drove home the message of road safety. The college holds Impact Days each half- term that involve students in a variety of themed activities designed to educate them about essential parts of life, ranging from healthy eating to prejudice among society. Members of Year 12 focused on a driving theme. The aims were to learn as much about every aspect of safe and responsible driving as possible. ?Brake? and ?Drive Alive? were just two of the organisations concerned with road safety who gave presentations, touching on everything from road safety to how to pass the new theory test. Drive Alive introduced the students to all the technical aspects needed to pass their driving test and the different ways in which they can approach it. They incorporated a DVD into the presentation that gave a clear overview of what constitutes safe and responsible driving. Local driving instructor Richard Oaten teamed up with the road safety charity Brake in a bid to encourage aspiring car owners to practice safe driving. Mr Oaten said: ?A total of 189 young people aged 15 to 25 were killed or seriously injured while in vehicles on the roads of Devon and Cornwall in 2005. ?I hope that by teaching young people about the consequences of speeding, of drink and drug driving and of not belting up, I can make a real difference to road safety in North Devon.? Students took part in a drama exercise to raise awareness of the effect alcohol has on driving and were given information about the prospective minefield of buying their first car. The day concluded with a chance for them to put their knowledge to the test by trying their hand at the new theory examination. Ashley Clark, student press officer of Okehampton College, said: ?The day was a great success, helping the members of the sixth form take their first steps to become responsible motorists.? Another student added: ?The presentations answered all the concerns and questions I had about driving. Seeing the DVD about road deaths has certainly made me think twice about speeding and taking risks on the road.? The day certainly seemed to make an impact.
