2 February 2012

Highlands & Islands Labour MSP, David Stewart, who set up and leads the Highland & Islands based road safety group, NOSDAT (North Of Scotland Driver Awareness team), will visit some secondary schools in Highland and Moray during the week commencing Monday 6 February 2012, as he continues distributing the group’s new 12 minute road safety film, which he is distributing free to every secondary school in the Highlands & Islands and Moray.

Commenting on this latest phase of his drive to make our roads safer, David Stewart said,

" Our group have achieved so much over the past two years.

"This latest stage is the completion of six months of filming to produce this short film.

"I said I would donate a copy of our film free to every school in the Highlands and Islands, including Argyll and Bute and Moray and already we are well down that road.

"I have visited the Western Isles and delivered copies of the DVD to the Local Authority over there and given a presentation to the Sir E Scott secondary school in Harris.

"I have posted copies up to Shetland and just last week I went to Orkney and delivered the DVD and gave a presentation to 250 pupils at Kirkwall High.

"I intend taking DVDs of our film down with me when I next visit Argyll and Bute and next week I intend visiting various schools in the Highlands and Moray"

Local car dealership MacRae and Dick, who are strong supporters of the work of NOSDAT, have yet again provided a free sponsored sports car, which David Stewart plans to use to travel to schools in Moray, Inverness, Dingwall, Golspie and Wick in the coming days.

During these visits David Stewart will hand over a copy of the group’s film and give a further presentations to the schools.

In the making of the film, the group worked with up- and- coming Elgin based film Producer and Director Tom Duncan, to compile and produce a 12 minute film related to road safety.

This film features local people, including the family of Callum Matheson, the Inverness teenager who was one of two young people killed in a fatal collision in the city during March 2010, and shows the devastation Callum’s death has caused to the family.

Also featuring are local young people who have recently passed their driving test or are currently taking driving lessons.

The making of the film was only made possible as a result of funding provided by Stagecoach Bus and is part of the campaign ‘Sensible Driving – Always Arriving’ which has two broad aims:

Political – Introduce a form of restricted licence for new drivers

Education – Your Passengers - Your Responsibility.

Full details of the groups work can be found on the web site :

www.sensibledriving.org.uk

Speaking about the film Russell Henderson, Director of Engineering with Stagecoach Bus said,

" As a local business whose activities are directly associated with transport and travel, we were only to happy to support the work of NOSDAT, something we have done since they were set up two years ago.

"I have seen the film and I am delighted with the final product which I hope will be welcomed by all schools in the area".

Diane Matheson, the mother of Callum said, " I am so proud when I look back and see what we have achieved as a team.

"We still have some way to go and hopefully one day the younger generation, new drivers and their families, will be glad that we did so much to educate drivers that their passengers are their responsibility and our work will have saved lives".