STUDENTS were given a lesson in road safety from firefighters one year after a road crash which killed three young people on the outskirts of Pershore.

Firefighters visited Pershore High School on Tuesday morning to highlight to Year 12 students that young drivers are at more risk of being involved in a serious injury or fatal road traffic collision.

The school visit also marked the anniversary of the deaths of Rebecca Townsend, aged 26, of Wick, Pershore, her 22-year-old brother Luke Morris and his partner Elizabeth Stanley who were in the crash along the B4084 at Wick on June 9, 2012.

Students watched presentations on speed awareness, distraction while driving and passenger safety.

A fire crew from Pershore set up a mock road traffic collision for a practical session which demonstrated the far-reaching impact excessive speed and driver distraction can have, as an ‘injured casualty’ was cut free from the vehicle.

Becky Valender, HWFRS’s community safety advisor, said: “Sadly a young woman, her brother and his partner, all in their 20s, lost their lives in a collision at Wick last June, leaving their respective families and friends devastated, and the local community deeply shocked.

“The fire service tends to get called to the more serious road traffic incidents and so promoting road safety is a key area of our work in partnership with West Mercia Police and the Safer Roads Partnership.

“We are grateful to the school for giving us this opportunity to talk to the students in this way, and we hope that the hard-hitting messages from the initiative will highlight not only the dangers for young people as they start driving but also the devastating consequences of driving too fast, driving under the influence of drink or drugs or of being distracted.”

It was organised by Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) in conjunction with the Safer Roads Partnership as part of the Green Light Project.