Hampshire Fire Service and Hampshire Road Safety visited the College as part of their Drink Drive Campaign. Student volunteers have been working with the three services over the past year as part of the College’s Student Watch initiative.

The Campaign aims to highlight the dangers of drink driving. Students were able to try on beer goggles which simulate the effects of alcohol, as well as watching a host of videos and were given the opportunity to find out more about the effects of drugs. Hampshire Fire Service also brought along a car which had been involved in a fatal drink driving accident as a visual aid, which demonstrated the consequences for real.

Katy Marlow, Community Engagement & Events Coordinator at the College said, “The Police, Fire Service, Hampshire Road Safety and our students joined forces to highlight the dangers of drink driving in the lead up to Christmas. Statistics show that 1 in 4 road accidents involve someone under the age of 25 and with many of our students being new drivers it is vital for us to offer advice where possible to keep them safe on the roads. Thank you to everyone involved in the event.”

Barnabas Balint, a member of Student Watch, commented, “The issue of Drink Driving is particularly important at this time of the year. Student Watch are keen to make sure that students in the College are aware of the risks and will hopefully have a safe festive break.”

PCSO Gordon Pengilley of the Farnborough Neighbourhood Policing Team said, "Our message to motorists is that even a small amount of alcohol can affect your ability to drive safely. It can affect judgement and reaction times. The best advice is to not drink at all if you're driving, and to avoid drinking on a night out if you need to drive the next day, especially if it’s a journey you need to make early.

As a guide it takes at least an hour a unit for your body to digest alcohol starting from your last drink. Any amount of alcohol can impair your driving skills. We'd like to thank Farnborough Sixth Form College and our partner agencies for their support at this event."