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Memory of lost son drives new road safety campaign
09 December 2011
Hull College launch the TOM Foundation’s Christmas Campaign
Be aware and save lives.
That’s the message from the family of an East Yorkshire teenager killed in a car crash as a new campaign warning young people about the dangers of reckless driving was announced at Hull College on Friday, 2 December.
Tom Atkinson (19), from Driffield, was killed as a passenger in a road traffic accident in Germany in August 2005. Following his death, mother Rosie and brother Ben set up the Take One Moment (TOM) Foundation to promote and raise awareness of the dangers on the roads among young drivers.
For the last four years, they have led a campaign in Hull and East Yorkshire secondary schools, colleges and university campuses to warn young people, not only of the dangers of driving recklessly but also of getting into a car with a driver whose actions behind the wheel might endanger lives. It is also important to alert young drivers of the effects poor weather can have on driving conditions, especially at this time of year.
The pair appeared at the launch of the TOM Foundation’s Christmas 2011 Campaign along with representatives of Humberside Police and Fire and Rescue Services, who, as part of a wider campaign, spoke to Hull College students, handed out promotional posters and beer mats and demonstrated the effects of a high-speed car crash using an ICar simulator.
Mrs Atkinson said: “This event has had a very strong impact on the young people; we all spoke with a strong unified voice about the pain and suffering caused by dangerous driving.
“My son Tom was only 19 when he died. At the time, he was training to be a tennis player and had just started out on the professional circuit. Then he got in the wrong car with the wrong driver and was killed.
“The main purpose of the TOM Foundation’s campaigning is to raise awareness about reckless driving among young people. All the statistical studies show that young male drivers are the ones who are most at risk.
“But they have to be aware that nobody’s infallible and the consequences of bad driving can be very harsh indeed – not just for themselves but their families as well. We’re asking them to ‘take one moment’ to think about what they are doing.
“If I can spare one family from going through what we’ve gone through and save one young life, all the hard work will have been worth it.”
Hull East MP, Karl Turner, also be spoke at the event. Mr Turner has recently successfully pressed for a change in the law to permit longer sentences for those found guilty of dangerous driving. Carrying a maximum sentence of five years in prison, the new offence of causing injury by dangerous driving is set to become law next year.
Mr Turner said: “While I’m pleased that a legal loophole that allowed many who caused serious injury through reckless driving to get away with minimal or even suspended sentences has now been closed, legislation can only ever be part of the solution.
“There must be far more awareness, particularly among young people, of the dangers of driving recklessly and of getting into a car with a reckless driver. That’s why I applaud the TOM Foundation’s efforts to keep this issue on the agenda and give my full support to their Christmas 2011 campaign.”
Hull College Deputy Chief Executive and Deputy Principal Gary Warke also spoke at the event,
“Here at Hull College we are proud to support the TOM Foundation and the fantastic work it does. This week the College is holding its Health and Well-Being Week which is about promoting healthy lifestyles and showing students support is available to them. We have many young adults who may not be aware of their abilities behind the wheel and often they are unaware of the law as well so welcoming the TOM Foundation into the College is an excellent opportunity to widen awareness of the important issues of road safety and driving responsibly.”
The launch formed part of Hull College’s Health and Well-being Week which educates and guides students in maintaining a healthy and safe lifestyle.
