And suddenly the room is dead silent. Despite an urgent warning. Where the pupils' faces had previously been covered in mischievous grins, almost a little haughtiness, there is now sheer horror. They have just witnessed a fatal traffic accident. Only on the screen and, of course, only staged. But even that has an after-effect.
In Gelsenkirchen, 9722 traffic accidents occurred in the city area in 2018. There were 827 minor injuries and 135 serious injuries. One person was killed in a traffic accident. Of the people injured, 133 were young road users.
In order to raise awareness of the dangers and consequences of serious road accidents, especially among young road users aged between 18 and 24, who are involved in road accidents more frequently than average, the Gelsenkirchen police and other safety partners gave another presentation from the "Crash Course NRW" series to almost 300 sixth form students from three Gelsenkirchen schools. The plan: to use emotional images and first-hand accounts to prepare pupils for the dangers of road traffic and make them aware of their responsibilities.
Several police officers, firefighters, emergency doctors and emergency chaplains have been regularly on duty in Gelsenkirchen schools since 2010 and use personal stories and real cases with fatalities and injuries to draw the audience's attention not only to the dangers but also to the consequences of misconduct on the roads.
Drunk driving, speeding or being distracted by a cell phone - all of these can shatter dreams at a moment's notice. A particularly memorable comparison for the pupils: an accident at 50 km/h without a seatbelt is like jumping off a ten-meter tower - without water. This is why the police and their safety partners regularly make an urgent appeal to all schoolchildren in Gelsenkirchen: "Be aware of your responsibility in road traffic, even as pedestrians. And don't overtax your guardian angels!"
The aim of the "Crash Course" lecture series is to reduce the disproportionately high number of young road casualties in NRW.
