An edition of this Tees Television series investigating topics affecting life in the North East. In this episode presenter Ian Payne as the question, do you consider yourself to be a safe driver? Ian speaks with parents who had lost a child; a mother of three who's lost the father of her children, people whose grief will never end because of a momentary stupid decision. Title: Northern Eye, How Safe is my Driving? Standing on a bridge over a busy dual carriageway, presenter Ian Payne...

An edition of this Tees Television series investigating topics affecting life in the North East. In this episode presenter Ian Payne as the question, do you consider yourself to be a safe driver? Ian speaks with parents who had lost a child; a mother of three who's lost the father of her children, people whose grief will never end because of a momentary stupid decision. Title: Northern Eye, How Safe is my Driving? Standing on a bridge over a busy dual carriageway, presenter Ian Payne introduced this edition of Northern Eye by asking every single motorist watching; how safe is my driving? In the front garden of her home 5-year-old Kirsty Cameron plays with Ian Payne, standing nearby her mother Debbie and a second woman presumably her grand-mother. Kirsty is the face of a new road safety campaign as her older brother David was killed by a speeding driver aged seven. A clip follows from said advertisement, the tagline ‘For Kirsty’s Sake Slow Down’. Standing on a raised platform inside Eldon Square shopping centre in Newcastle Jeremy Forsberg from Northumbria Safety Camera Partnership launches the campaign featuring Kirsty called ‘Road Respect’. Kirsty and her mother watch the video on a monitor after which a bouquet is presented to Debbie by a second man watched by a smiling Kirsty. A busy dual carriageway with a footbridge crossing it, on the central reservation flowers mark the spot where David Cameron was killed by a driver doing 60mph in a 40mph area. Back inside Eldon Square Ian speaks with Jeremy Forsberg with regards the power of this campaigns message. He explains that every day he sees people on the roads driving aggressively and speeding the consequences of which result in people dying and serious injuries that impact people’s lives; Kirsty is just one person that will have to live with that grief for the rest of her life. As he speaks an image of Kirsty with her late brother. In her home sitting on a sofa Ian asks Kirsty about making the video, she says her brother was stolen by a man whom she still remembers. Debbie Cameron talks about her children’s relationship and Kirsty’s three wishes which are being used in the campaign. Time-lapse of cars travelling along a dual carriageway changes to a motorway sign with a message written on it. Title: 59% of children know someone hurt in a road accident On the West Road near the junction of Elswick Road in Newcastle a van with a mobile speed camera. The slogan written along the rear door reads ‘Safe Speed for Life!’. Inside PC Eric Harrison from Northumbria Police monitors the speed of vehicles passing, he explains to Ian what he is looking out for and the dangers of vehicles that pass exceeding the speed limit of 30mph. PC Harrison goes onto explain that the police are here to do a job and to prevent accidents. He hopes in the time he has been on the camera he has prevented quite a few accidents. Along a busy dual carriageway speed cameras and signs indicating a 50mph zone. Jeremy Forsberg says that while some may see speed cameras as ugly and offensive, casualties on the road are far uglier and more offensive. More people are asking him about speed camera than criticize them. People want that enforcement on the road, they want to feel safe. Back on the West Road PC Harrison’s mobile speed camera is still in action. Inside he explains why this job matters to him, as a driver himself he seen the attitude of other driver every day. He wants to make people aware and acknowledge other drivers on the road instead of road rage. A 40mph road sign changes to another motorway sign with a message written on it. Title: 9 out of 10 pedestrians hit at 40mph will die In an unmarked police car driving along the A1 in Northumberland Northumbria Police Inspector Alistair Oates talks with Ian in the backseat. A car speeds past but slows when it realises, they have passed a police car. Inspector Oates says that some drivers take their advice when it is given, he believes that if the situation isn’t serious then it is the polices job to educate drivers. However, some drivers do take exception to being criticized. In his office Inspector Oates says that there are drivers on the road without a licence, vehicles without insurance, MOT or tax. These drivers have ‘no training’ and he will be using any technology available to detect these people and pursue them through the courts. Back in the unmarked police car Inspector Oates uses VASCAR (Visual Average Speed Computer and Recorder) to track a speeding car in front of him, he explains how the system works. Returning to the office he goes through some of the consequences facing drivers from warnings through to fines. Back in the unmarked police car he follows a third speeding vehicle using VASCAR which is recorded doing more than 90mph. Inspector Oates talks about how dealing with serious and fatal collisions does affect him and his officers. Heading into the break, Ian takes instruction from a driving instructor from the wheel of a car. Title: Northern Eye, How Safe is my Driving? Grace and Adam Brown playing together in the backyard of the family home, their mother Alison comparing them to their father Gwyn Price who was killed by a speeding driver two years previous. A family portrait featuring eldest daughter Holly who is old enough to have memories of her father unlike Grace and Adam. Alison Brown, Gwyn’s partner, talks about the accident and how it affected her and Gwyn’s family. She wants the man who killed her children’s father and any other driver who is thinking about speeding to think of her children before doing so, what happened to them could happen to anybody. As she speaks a car accident like the one that killed Gwyn with several fire appliances in attendance around two badly damaged cars followed by Grace and Adam continuing to play in the backyard. Time-lapse of cars travelling along a dual carriageway changes to a motorway sign with a message written on it. Title: 148 people died in road accidents in the north east in 2004 Back at the ‘Road Respect’ venue inside Eldon Square a young man at the controls of a driving simulator. Jim Cousins, MP for Newcastle Central, tells Ian that its not just about the behaviour of other drivers but us as well. At the Northumbria Driver Improvement Scheme training centre Senior Instructor Tim Carnell, leads a class of five participants, all have been referred by the police as they have all committed minor driving offences. At the wheel of a car Ian Payne pulls out of the training centre and goes for a drive alongside Tim who gives Ian several tips to improve his driving skills. Back at the training centre Ian speaks with Helen Rowland from the scheme who says the course is an alternative to going to court and gives that individual a chance to improve their driving. Thomas Taylor, who has completed the course, explains how the course taught him not to drive reactively, to see and anticipate hazards. Several vehicles drive past, the drivers at the wheels are each using their mobile telephone. Title: 17 to 24 year olds are involved in 25% of all collisions A clip from the Cleveland Fire Brigade public safety video ‘Learn and Live’ featuring a road accident involving a group of young people. Ian walks through a garden with Janet and David Warin changing to them speaking with a group of teenagers in a local school about their son Daniel who was killed aged 17 after crashing his car into a tree. Sitting on a bench they explain why they do it. David says they are interested in young people and it’s an opportunity to think about Daniel. Back in the classroom David leads a discussion with several in the group having recently passing their driving tests. A teenage girl tells a story of being involved in a ‘shunt’. Ian is also part of the awareness session and remembers a similar accident. Andrew Santon, North Yorkshire County Council Road Safety Officer talks with the group about the importance of seatbelts. Back at ‘Road Respect’ launch venue inside Eldon Square Ian sits on the stage chatting happily with Kirsty Cameron. Back home Ian asks Kirsty about her three wishes that are the focus of the campaign; she wishes the car hadn’t hit her brother, she wishes her brother David wasn’t dead and she wishes drivers would slow down. Back on the overpass Ian end the programme by stating that accidents can happen to anyone, any driver watching this programme runs the risk of causing an accident by driving too fast to carelessly and wishing they’d hadn’t. Maybe it’s time to take some positive action by asking the question; How Safe is my Driving? Title: Thanks to Lyle Bailie International, Lady Lumley School Credit: Presenter Ian Payne Camera Alistair Mackenzie, Jan Ostrowski, John White Sound Andy Bennett, Chris Corner Graphics Dave Richardson Editor John Louvre Sound Post-production The Edge Production Manager Christine Stewart-Tilling Executive Producer Jane Bolesworth Producer Director Peri Langale © ITV Tyne Tees 2006 End credit: Production for ITV