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We're determined to reduce the number of people killed or
seriously injured on Kent's roads every year. That's why we are
running our hard-hitting road safety campaign:
The campaign targets the three crucial areas affecting driving
and road safety:
- Speed - inappropriate and illegal speeds
- Impairment - alcohol, drugs, mobile phone use,
fatigue
- Perception - understanding the risks and
consequences
The main aim of this campaign is to change drivers' attitudes
and behaviour.
This campaign will be the major 'umbrella' campaign for our
largest number of road safety initiatives to change driver and
passenger attitudes. A large number of high-profile publicity and
community-involvement activities are planned, plus we are
co-ordinating with other Government and non-government road safety
initiatives.
The 'Help Save 478 Lives' campaign uses television, radio and
poster advertising across the region. Kent residents are seeing the
television advertising, and have those same messages reinforced on
local radio, and on posters across the county.
To find out more about the road safety campaigns, visit the
website Kent Road Safety (link opens in a new
window).
Nick Packham's story
The initial TV advert tells the story of Nick Packham, a victim
of one of Kent's road crashes.
Nicholas Packham is a good-natured, intelligent man who worked
as a retained fire fighter in Kent. On Monday 22 April 2002 at
around 8:30pm, his life changed forever. It was five days before
Nick's birthday and he was a passenger returning home along the
Glastonbury Road in Cranbrook with his best friend.
He believes the car was only slightly over the speed limit when
it clipped the nearside kerb as they were navigating a bend in the
road. The car was catapulted across the road into a tree. After the
impact of the collision Nick lost consciousness for about ten
seconds.
"I woke up to find the roof of the car crushed down on my head
and I couldn't move my arms or legs. I had attended similar
accidents as a fire fighter and I was immediately aware of the
severity of the crash."
Apart from the lost ten seconds, Nick remembers everything about
the crash. It was Nick's own fire crew that responded to the
emergency rescue call. The crew was told by an attending officer
that they did not have to carry on with the rescue, but knowing
that it was Nick trapped in the car they did not hesitate and set
about rescuing their trapped colleague.
Nick's spinal cord had been severed during the
impact
The rescue was complicated and before Nick could be extracted
from the wreckage, part of the tree that the car had collided with
had to be cut down. Nick was trapped in the car for 90 agonising
minutes until he was freed. Many of Nick's colleagues needed
counselling after the rescue.
"I began adjusting to the severity of my injuries whilst trapped
in the car. I knew I could not move my arms or legs and my
experiences in the rescue services had prepared me for the
worst."
Nick's spinal cord had been severed during the impact leaving
him paralysed from the chest down and with restricted mobility of
his arms and fingers. He was transferred to Stoke Mandeville Spinal
Unit in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire for nine month's intensive care,
physiotherapy and rehabilitation.
Nick's mobility, job, privacy, independence and freedom
are gone - forever
Nine months away from home brought its own pressures for Nick's
family and friends who could only manage to visit once a week. When
Nick left hospital he was resigned to being confined to a wheel
chair for the rest of his life. In fact, life had changed beyond
all expectations for Nick in a matter of seconds. Nick's mobility
disappeared, his job disappeared, his privacy disappeared and his
independence and freedom were gone for the rest of his life.
Nick now needs constant help from a carer, 24 hours a day, to
help him wash, eat, drink and get dressed. Weekly physiotherapy
helps Nick maintain a limited range of physical upper body movement
and strength.
Nick considers himself to be very lucky - his friend died at the
scene of the crash. |