Realities of 'carnage on our roads' played out at local schools

In a series of displays across Road Safety Week firefighters showed how they remove people trapped inside smashed cars, but they have also spoken of their first hand experiences of the "carnage" they witness.

"We attend road traffic collisions every day and our job is to free and remove people trapped in vehicles," a post on Western Area Commands Facebook page said.

Pleading with young and new drivers - a fifth of whom are involved in some sort of collision - to "to cut it out before we cut you out" they carried the message that "we all have a responsibility to make our roads safer"."Firefighters witness first-hand the carnage on our roads and the lives completely destroyed as a consequence of speeding, not wearing a seat belt, inattention or drink/drug driving," they continued."In 2015 Firefighters attended 735 Road Traffic Collisions and rescued 579 people from their vehicles. No one should ever lose their live in a road traffic collision.

"We want to encourage road users this Road Safety Week 2016 to sign up to http:/www.sharetheroadtozero.com and show their commitment to the ambition of zero road deaths in Northern Ireland. "Almost a fifth of new drivers (19%) of all new drivers had some kind of a collision within their first six months of driving. Are you a new driver? Pledge your support to the New Driver Share the Road to Zero Pledge https://www.sharetheroadtozero.com/new-driver/

"Our Firefighters have seen the devastation of irresponsible road user behaviour too many times. We must to all we can do all we can to ease the pain, loss and suffering to individuals, families and communities caused by road traffic collisions."