
To help raise awareness of the importance of post-crash care, Devon Air Ambulance are proud to be supporting an emergency services motorcade as it passes through Devon. On Monday 13 September, we will be lending full support to the Project EDWARD ‘Fit for the Road’ campaign. Throughout the week, we will help to showcase the importance of post-crash care, while other agencies, organisations and emergency services will promote discussion around vehicle safety, safe road use, safe speed, and safe roads and roadsides.
To help raise awareness of the importance of post-crash care, Devon Air Ambulance are proud to be supporting an emergency services motorcade as it passes through Devon.
On Monday 13 September, we will be lending full support to the Project EDWARD ‘Fit for the Road’ campaign.
Throughout the week, we will help to showcase the importance of post-crash care, while other agencies, organisations and emergency services will promote discussion around vehicle safety, safe road use, safe speed, and safe roads and roadsides.
An alarming statistic - Last year, 216 missions of the 1507 missions that Devon Air Ambulance’s two aircraft and two Critical Care Cars attended were to road traffic collisions. This accounts for over 14% of all missions.
Our Director of Patient Services, Nigel Hare explains:
“Every fatal road traffic collision is a tragedy, not just for the family and friends of those that have died, but also for others who were directly involved or who kindly stopped to render help and assistance.
The greatest tragedy, however, is that often these collisions are avoidable. All of us that drive can help reduce the chances of such tragedies occurring, simply by driving with greater attention to the road conditions and other road users.”
A spectacle to help halve road deaths
A procession from Land’s End to John o’ Groats will feature representatives from emergency services from each of the counties the motorcade passes through. The three-day road trip through the southwest will showcase the efforts of Vision Zero South West Partnership which heads up the road safety partnership.
Strategic partners are assembling in Plymouth to engage the public in how all emergency services are working together to enhance road safety awareness and post-crash care to move towards the ambitious target of halving road deaths by 2030.
The Devon arm of the procession will begin its tour at 8.30 on the Monday 13th September at Marsh Mills Sainsbury’s car park, Plymouth, where a motorcade including representatives such as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, will address those assembled before the motorcade makes its way up to Exeter Airport.
The convoy will approach the Fire Services Academy at Exeter Airbase at 11.30am to visit Devon Air Ambulance. Here, our Senior Consultant, Tim Nutbeam, will speak about post-crash care alongside staff from University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust major Trauma Unit and Vision Zero VC Cllr Stuart Hughes.
If available, you will also see the Devon Air Ambulance H145 Helicopter hovering over the motorcade too, mission permitting.
The convoy aims to depart Exeter airport at 2pm to make its way to Taunton where Somerset colleagues will continue to support the procession on its onward journey throughout the UK.