TEENAGERS from a York college have been given a sobering lesson in driver safety by city fire fighters and police.

Students at the York College construction centre in Osbaldwick were visited by the North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, North Yorkshire Police and City of York Council road safety department, who delivered a “drive wise” exercise aimed at making young drivers, and learner drivers, aware of driving dangers.

Construction students watched a safety video and witnessed joinery student Tom Drake and plastering student Lee Hughes being placed in a mock car crash before being rescued by the fire brigade.

Tom said: “It was a weird and horrible feeling to be cut out of a car. I would not want to be in a real car crash.”

Deputy chief fire officer Andy Trowsdale said: “We know that great benefits can be gained if the driving styles and behaviour of people under the age of 25 can be positively influenced through educational events such as this one.

“Although we have been successful in reducing the rate of road traffic accidents significantly over the past few years’ we still attend far too many across York and North Yorkshire.”