Arundel Firefighters will be at Ford Market on Sunday, December 4th in an attempt to reduce the number of road accidents on the roads of West Sussex.

Together with colleagues from the Sussex Police Crash Investigation Unit , Sussex Ambulance and the Sussex Safety Camera Partnership , they will be:

• Staging static displays to highlight accidents that have occurred across the county in 2005.
• Distributing leaflets and speaking to market goers urging them to think carefully about their driving habits.
• Giving a live demonstration of how they cut casualties out of a crashed car.

Arundel firefighter Matt Myerscough said the market-attracted visitors from a wide geographical area, providing an ideal opportunity to speak to a large number of people.

"It's not just about the run-up to Christmas but it does seem particularly important at this time of year to urge people to drive more safely.

"Firefighters have the unpleasant task of cutting people free from the wreckage of car accidents - and that's often the easy bit. The hard bit comes later when the Police have the task of knocking on a family's door to break the news that their lives have been changed. Possibly forever.

"Your driving might cost you points on your licence, a fine or maybe your liberty. But for some people, their driving could be a life sentence.

"We want drivers to use common sense when driving, not bravado. And we say don't bow to peer pressure to drive when you've had a drink. Think before you drink before you drive.

"After all - you don't want to meet us when you get wrecked!"