AESLEME and the Fundación Mutua Madrileña (Madrid’s Mutual Insurance Foundation) work together to improve road safety among university students
The "Hold on to life" campaign has been designed by AESLEME’s professional team, adapting our campaign "It can happen to you" to the university population. Our goal is to help them to assess, by themselves, whether it is worth taking some risks, according to the consequences.
Therefore, we help them to raise awareness of the risks by listening the testimony of someone who has already suffered irreversible damage in an accident.
University students are prone to take risks when driving, as a way of self-assertion typical in youth —the overvaluation of one's ability or increased aggressiveness and impulsiveness. These factors lead youth people to take risks such as higher speeds as well as driving under the influence of alcohol.
For all these reasons, this campaign, which was developed thanks to the support of the Fundación Mutua Madrileña (i.e., Madrid’s Mutual Insurance Foundation), takes place in public and private universities throughout Spain. This action takes place during teaching hours, lasting from 1 to 2 hours, and is taught by a specialist in emergencies (061, SAMUR, helicopters, etc.) or hospital care, and by spinal cord injured (i.e., paraplegic or quadriplegic)—a road safety technician who has suffered an accident.
The lecturers have extensive training experience, as well as complete documentation about the subject. They receive continuous training.
The address of the lecturers is complemented by audiovisual material (PowerPoint presentations, shocking videos, etc.), which is constantly updated, adapted and well suited to such a problematic age of this group of young people, as shown by all official statistics. A dialogue with the audience takes place after the lecture, which is very enriching for both parties.
We currently have 26 people —half of them spinal cord injured because of traffic accidents— who develop this project in the universities.
The conference consists of the following parts:
1. Causes of accidents (Risk Factors): Distractions, alcohol and drugs, speed, fatigue, etc.
2. Preventive Measures (Primary Prevention): Use of seat belts and helmets, headrests, proper use of the airbag, child restraint systems, compliance with traffic rules, avoiding alcohol and drugs when driving, avoid distractions (mobile phones, navigation systems, music), etc.
3. Basic rules of action in case of accident (Spanish term PAS; Protect - Alert - Help) (Secondary Prevention): emphasizing the importance of not moving the injured person until emergency services arrive in order to avoid a possible aggravation of injuries. Other set of concepts of easy application that can be vital to the wounded are also taught.
4. Serious consequences of traffic accidents: major injuries such as head trauma and spinal cord injury. Physical, psychological, family and social problems that a person faces after the accident.
• Discussion with students.
• Delivery of information material, with the most important information.
The direct beneficiaries of the “HOLD ON TO LIFE” campaign are eighteen college students and older students, who according to official statistics are more at risk because of their activities (motorcycle, car, alcohol, distractions, speeding, night, etc.). Moreover, in an indirect way, many other people benefit from this knowledge, because each university student receives several informational materials —a specific one aimed at himself/herself and another aimed at his/her parents, which allows us to reach the remaining members of the family unit.
A survey was conducted via the Internet in 2014. Students were asked to give feedback to this campaign, and 1,698 of them answered the questions. 99% felt that the lectures were very interesting, and 95.5% stated that the lectures will help them to change their driving habits.
For further information: Memoria 2021
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