THOUSANDS of people are injured on Dorset's roads every year. 

More than one person a day was killed or seriously injured in a crash between May 2014-15.

And for each person who died, £1.9m was wiped out of the economy.

From May 1, 2014 to April 2015, there were 4,278 crashes, with 2,759 casualties.

Of those casualties, 392 were seriously injured or killed.

It's figures like these – and the pressure accidents can put on our emergency services – which makes the need for driver education so important. 

And so it was with 'a little imagination, and a lot of hard work', that the concept for RoadWise was born.

The UK's first interactive road safety centre was opened by Princess Anne at Weymouth Community Fire Station earlier this week.

It's a 3,000 square-metre road circuit with working pedestrian and zebra crossings, a mini roundabout, one way street, T junctions, a yellow junction box and battery operated mini cars that will help children to better understand the risks and consequences of being both a pedestrian and a driver the roads.

More than 20,000 young people will experience the SafeWise charity’s memorable interactive educational experiences every year. 

And at around £460,000 annual running cost, that represents just £23 per head to save a life.

Because it's education that's the key to saving lives, campaigners say – making drivers understand the potentially fatal consequences of a split second decision or distraction whilst behind the wheel.

A quick text, for example – what's the harm? 'I'll just quickly reply to this text,' you think, 'It'll only take a second and I know this road well.'

But the reality is, you are four times more likely to crash when you text at the wheel. On average, you look at your phone five times per text, taking your eyes off the road for 1.4 seconds. And that's a lot of road you won't see. 

Travelling at 37mph, that's the same as closing your eyes for 22 metres – or the length of five cars.

So imagine how much road you'd miss travelling at national speed limit on a road like the A35 or A37. 

And speeding is another issue – more than 57,000 motorists were caught speeding in just over a year in Dorset.

Brian Austin, operations manager of road safety, said: “Excess speed is one of five biggest killers on roads in Dorset and is known as one of the ‘fatal five’.

“To put it simply there is no excuse to speed. We all lead busy lives but the desire to get somewhere that little bit quicker means you are putting your lives and that of other road users at risk. It is just not worth it."

The risk of death is approximately four times higher when a pedestrian is hit at 40mph than at 30mph.

And fatal accidents are four times as likely on rural “A” roads as urban “A” roads.

It is hoped that RoadWise can reduce casualties on the roads by delivering the sustainable changes in behaviour required to make the roads safer.

Funding and support has been provided by the emergency services and a number of local organisations, including Dorset Fire Authority, 
Dorset Fire & Rescue Service, Dorset Police & Crime Commissioner, Dorset Police, Dorset County Council, Siemens, SSE Contracting, Network Rail and a whole host of other supportive organisations including Morgan Sindall, Synergy Housing, Bournemouth White Lining, South Western Scaffolding, Swift Signs, Kingston Maurward College and Sherborne Turf.

Students at Kingston Maurward put their newly-learned skills to the test by adding the real-life touches to the mini village.

Horticulture tutor Herve LeReverend said: "We are very proud of our horticulture and construction students and tutors. They have used the skills learnt at college to create lawns, patio areas, road verges and a variety of planting designs to create the country lanes and a town centre representative of our community. This has been a great experience for our student teams to work to plans and deadlines for such a high profile project."

Phase one of the RoadWise road safety centre at Weymouth was jointly funded with grants of £150k from Dorset Fire Authority and £50k from the Dorset Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner and Dorset Police – and it took just 10 months to complete.

Speaking at the opening, Cllr Rebecca Knox, chairman of the Dorset Fire Authority, said: "We have a united vision – to provide facilities for people of all ages to learn about the importance of road safety [...] we need to educate as many as we can about how their behaviour can prevent accidents.

"We are determined to ensure today's and tomorrow's road users are better educated, skilled and aware. We can save lives by changing lives."

The centre includes a blue light training area with facilities for emergency service partners. Fire crews, paramedics and police can simulate real life scenarios such as rescuing people from cars and rescues from underground chambers. In the next phase, it is hoped that a railway line with a mock platform and a level crossing, also enabling rescues from heights.

Weymouth Community Safety Centre already includes FireWise, an interactive experience to educate children about fire in the home. 

The LV=SafeWise centre, based on the border of Bournemouth and Poole is an interactive indoor life-sized safety village with a range of town and country ‘bricks and mortar’ scenes from everyday life, including a street with pedestrian crossing, a two-storey house, a park, a beach, a railway station, and even a police station and a pub. 

Interactive role play around beach safety, crossing the road, evacuating a smoke filled house, 999 calls and ‘stranger danger’ all play their part in embedding the safety messages for life.

SafeWise is now working with the Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to develop and open a new safety centre near Swindon in 2018.