‘Sorry – I Didn’t Mean To Kill You’

YOUNG drivers in Oxfordshire are being targeted in a hard-hitting and thought provoking Valentine?s Day safety campaign aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries on the county’s roads.
Experts from Oxfordshire County Council Fire and Rescue and Road Safety teams will be launching its ?For my girlfriend? campaign on Monday, February 14. The campaign features a Valentine Card in a sealed envelope with the words ?For my girlfriend? apparently hand-written on it. The card carries the same message on the front but inside the message is: ?I?m sorry, I didn?t mean to kill you. I was driving too fast?. The text is accompanied by a picture of a wrecked car.
The card is being distributed with the help of sixth form centres and colleges throughout Oxfordshire.
Five local authorities have been involved in running the ?For my girlfriend? campaign successfully in the region for the past 18 months – it gained a Prince Michael International Road Safety Award in 2004.
In Oxfordshire in 2003, 10 young men and one young woman (aged between 17 and 25) were killed and 47 young men and 21 young women were seriously injured in road accidents. In 2004, this figure was greatly reduced with 4 young men being killed and 32 seriously injured. One young woman was killed in 2004 and 17 were seriously injured.
David Robertson, Executive Member for Transport and Roads at Oxfordshire County Council said: ?Although it?s very encouraging to see a 50% reduction in deaths of youngsters on our roads in 2004, this still means that there are at least five families and many friends of those five who died who have lost a very special person. We should never lose sight of the fact that each lost individual is a total tragedy for their family and friends.?