Manchester City Council

 New Students In Town!

All students coming to university for the first time, often from outside the Manchester area, are keen to enter the spirit of student life and enjoy their new-found independence away from their families. In the excitement of socialising and meeting new friends, it is easy for people to become over confident and careless about safety issues, but young adults new to the city are particularly vulnerable. 

The Council's Road Safety Team are running an event stall for the intake of new students at the Freshers' Fair at the University of Manchester - Academy on 23 September 2009.

The event stall will feature a driving simulator that has hazard perception and emergency braking in urban and motorway environments. There will also be various leaflets and literature available and staff will be in attendance to assist with the driving simulator and to discuss any issues of road safety. The aim is to reduce the number of students killed or seriously injured as drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

The campaign is a continuation from last year's event and it is hoped to further promote this vulnerable risk area. The objectives are to promote safe road use and raise awareness of the risks students face as young road users. Every year students are involved in collisions along Oxford Road, particularly during the autumn months with 30% of collisions happening between 10pm and 3am - nearly half of these result in injuries to pedestrians.

For further information on the University of Manchester and ways of getting around the area click on maps and travel.