South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service have teamed up with a group of young actors to create a "car crash horror show" video, aimed at cutting deaths and injuries on roads among young drivers.

The video, entitled “Collision”, was commissioned by South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) in 2011, after six young people died in two car crashes in the county in a matter of weeks.

Watch a preview of "Collision" below:

"Collision" will now be shown in schools across Yorkshire after receiving its premiere last week [Jan 30] in an event held at Sheffield Hallam University and attended by the stars of the show, as well as new Police and Crime Commissioner, Shaun Wright, and Chair of the Fire Authority, Jim Andrews.

The cast, who are all aged between 16 and 20, and from South Yorkshire, are backing it to be a hit in driving home the road safety message in local schools.

Rotherham’s Tom Hadfield, who plays Sean, the driver of one of the cars which crashes in the film, said: “The makers have approached some really hard subjects, which made it hit home. It shocked me seeing how dangerous things can be, and the other factors involved in driving. It’s not just that you’re on the road – there are stories that lead to the crash.”

The 19-year-old added: “I drive myself, and I know the bad habits I’ve got into just from driving for a year. If I’d have been shown something like this when I was at school, it might have shocked me into being more careful.”

And the former student of Wingfield Business and Enterprise College said the fact that the film was based in Sheffield, and featured actors from the area, will make it more real for local youngsters:

“If you’re watching something where the characters have completely different accents, you might not think it’s relevant to you,” he said. “But this film features people of our age, from around here, dying and getting injured in a car crash. That might help to get the message across.”

SYFR, which obtained funds from the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership to commission the project from lime, are now working with local schools to ensure as many young people in the county as possible have a chance to see the film, with the aim of improving road safety in the future.

Posted 06/02/2013 by richard.hook@pavpub.com