Oaklands College Media students clinch two of three Road Safety Awards

Oaklands College Media students were awarded two of the three awards on offer at the Student Media 2018 Road Safety Awards, for their impressive short film contributions, aimed at raising the awareness of the hazards of dangerous driving.

This week saw the launch of the Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Student Media awards at Campus West Cinema in Welwyn Garden City.

The concept of the project came from Borehamwood Firefighter Brian Chamberlain, who proposed that Fire Crews in Hertfordshire could work with young people to create a road safety video, and then share it with their peers via social media to make their friends and colleagues aware of the hazards of dangerous driving.

Brian said: “Statistically, young drivers are three times more likely to be involved in a car accident. In the first two years of driving, 1 in 3 drivers are involved in an accident. It is essential for younger drivers to understand the consequences of dangerous driving, and that is what this project aims to achieve.”

Oaklands College Media students have been working on their individual projects for a total of 8 weeks and in the company of her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant Mr Robert Voss CBE and the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Suzy Harvey, were able to showcase their creations at the Campus West cinema facilities.

Picking up the award for the ‘Clearest Message Category’ were James O’Gorman, Cain Steadman, Ewan Jones and Leonie Isaacs with their short film ‘It Was Just’, which depicted three different story lines of characters who all caused accidents as a result of not being safe whilst driving.

Finally, winning the ‘Overall Winner’ award were cast and crew members Hana Keen, Hollie Claridge, Evie Gallagher, Michael Mcloughlin and Ross Herbert, for their ‘Think Before You Drink’ short film, following a group of young friends meeting up for a Christmas drink, to raise the awareness of both the dangers of drink-driving and the role the fire service play in road accidents.