In November around 9,000 16 to 18 year olds in Kent and Medway will watch the theatre production ‘Licence to Kill?’.  Road safety partners in the county deliver the programme to raise awareness of the importance of driving safely, and of the trauma involved when it goes wrong. 

In road traffic collisions trauma affects those injured and involved in a crash, as well as their families, friends, the witnesses, and the emergency services.  It has been likened to the ‘ripple effect’ of dropping a stone into a pond.  The effects can be far-reaching and continue for a lifetime. 

The word ‘trauma’ originates from the 17th century and from Greek, literally meaning ‘wound’. 

Wounds are both physical and emotional.  Psychological scars can persist for years after a road traffic crash and can affect all those involved:

You may have lost a loved one. 
You may have had to watch a loved one suffer from and try to recover from serious physical injury or brain damage.
You may be a carer for someone who was involved in a crash. 
You may be the person who was responsible for the death or serious injury of another person. 
You may have witnessed the horror and aftermath of a crash that you just missed. 
You may have been witness to the horror, time and again, as part of your ‘job’.

Most people associate Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) with battle-scarred soldiers, but any overwhelming life experience can trigger it, especially if the event feels unpredictable and uncontrollable.  Road crashes are events that can trigger PTSD.

We all have an individual responsibility to stop this happening.

Please drive safely.