MIRA Working In Partnership With The West Midlands Fire Service
For over half a century MIRA has continued to raise the standard of vehicle safety around the world through the advanced engineering and development work carried out at the firm’s Nuneaton headquarters.
Over the years some of this important work has been conducted in conjunction with the emergency services, with MIRA most recently carrying out a head-on crash test at forty miles per hour using a Ford Focus to simulate a typical road traffic accident.
The car was then donated to the Road Casualty Reduction Team (RCRT) – part of the West Midlands Fire Service, for them to use at future road safety events and presentations; helping them engage with members of the public by demonstrating the consequences of road traffic collisions. The organisation’s hard hitting message will also be supported by video footage also supplied by MIRA.
The RCRT engages with all sections of the community and works in conjunction with the West Midlands Police at roadside education days which often involve the police stopping cars where the occupants are not wearing seat belts. The people inside the vehicle are then directed to the RCRT team by the roadside who discuss the consequences of not wearing seat belts before agreeing a solution. This often results in the Police not prosecuting the driver as education is often more beneficial to all parties involved.
The crashed car donated by MIRA will act as a visual aid at the organisation’s roadside education events and will help to bring home the consequences of road side collisions where seat belts are not worn. The team also works hard to educate young people about the importance of road safety by visiting schools, colleges and universities to deliver presentations on all aspects of road safety and how being involved in a collision can not only affect themselves but also their families. This is also backed up with thought provoking material.
The RCRT also work with Young Offending groups, involving people on the Intensive Supervision and Surveillance Program (ISSP) as well as young people who are at risk of offending in the future.
Mark Hall, a spokesman for the Road Casualty Reduction Team said,
“On behalf of the RCRT and the West Midlands Fire Service we would like to thank MIRA and in particular Miles Dadson and his team for their help and support with the donation of the crashed car and footage. This is a fantastic resource for us to use and will help us drive home the road safety message. This is a great demonstration of partnership working and sharing best practice.”
