ROAD safety is top of the agenda this Friday evening when a special event is held at Cowdenbeath’s Central Park.

The theme of the evening is how to ensure you can do your best to avoid accidents and how the emergency services tackle those that do happen.

The Central Fife Crime Prevention Panel, along with partners Fife Community Safety Partnership, which includes Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, is now ready for their Road Safety event to be held at the Cowdenbeath Racewall on Friday 24th July from 6pm to 9pm.

Colin Bird, the panel’s vice-chair, told our reporter that thanks to the partnership, the Cowdenbeath area will have a road safety event that will highlight the new drink driving limit and show the dangers of drink driving and using a mobile phone whilst driving.

The event, though primarily aimed at new and young drivers, is a free one for all the family.

The main element is a road traffic collision involving two cars (cars supplied from Fife Engine services Lochore) where the driver has had a drink then is on his mobile phone and this all results in a collision with an innocent driver. The scene will be narrated by serving emergency service personnel explaining what each individual service do at the scene of a collision. This will be played out in front of those attending, enabling you to see the emergency services in action in a safe environment.

The pit area of Cowdenbeath Racewall will be turned into a static display where you can speak to all the emergency services to get advice, look at the equipment and if over 16 take part in the Community Safety Partnership driving simulator and the seat belt convincer. They will also have beer goggles so you can see for yourself how your vision is impaired when you drink alcohol or take drugs.

Colin said, “The fire service will have several vehicles to look round to view their equipment, they will also give out fire safety advice.

“Road Policing will have a traffic car and a demo car, the Community Policing team will have a demo cash machine to show you the signs of ATM fraud and will also give Community Safety advice”.

The Central Fife Crime Prevention Panel will also have a stall offering Community safety advice selling personal attack alarms and if you are interested taking names for new members.

The RLC of the Army have also committed to the event they will be bring a large army vehicle to look round and they will show how they conduct their “first parade” (basic inspection) on an army Landrover and a private motor car, and after the main event will discuss fault finding and how to carry out basic repairs on your vehicle.

International Fire and Rescue Association (IFRA), a charitable organisation who provide equipment and training throughout the world will also have a display.

NA nonsense modified cars will be along showing some of the things you can do to your car to modify it. The first static display will be four vehicles with the theme of what will take you home tonight, with reference to drink driving. These four vehicles will be a Taxi (Cowdenbeath Taxi Association), a Police car, an Ambulance and finally a hearse (Ewing’s funeral directors Kelty), again highlighting the dangers of drink or drug driving.

And Finally Cowdenbeath Racewall’s own Micro F2s for 8 – 11 year olds, will be available as a static display to get your picture taken in and will also be doing a demo race on the track.

Colin added he would like to thank all the partner agencies for bring this event together which hopefully will lead to an “Emergency Services day” next year similar to the one the panel organised in the early 2000s. He added, “Also all the businesses who have assisted us by sponsoring the event through donations of vehicles and a big thanks to Keith Ramsay, from Cowdenbeath Racewall for opening up the track to allow this event to go ahead”.

If any motoring group or community safety group, ie driving school etc would like to get involved contact Colin on 077634042324.