5 December 2011
BBC news reporters will follow the London Ambulance Service for
24 hours tomorrow (6 December) as it responds to dozens of road
traffic collisions in London.
Every road accident will be captured through the Service’s
Twitter page, www.twitter.com/Ldn_Ambulance,
under #Crash24, and through live updates on the BBC
website. News reporters will also file stories from the scene
and the control room for TV and radio.
Throughout the day 12 journalists will accompany paramedics in
cars to see first hand how the service responds to around 80 road
traffic collisions a day.
Deputy Director of Operations Jason Killens said: “The impact of
these accidents goes largely unreported in London. Crash24 gives us
the opportunity to put the spotlight on traffic collisions and the
impact they have on road users. It will also highlight the skills
and expertise of our staff who treat patients at the scene before
taking them to trauma centres or hospitals across the capital.”
Crash24 is part of a week long special BBC report focusing on
road collisions. The BBC has produced an interactive map which
plots every fatal accident in the UK between 1999 and 2010.
Jason said: “In London alone we go to around 80 road traffic
incidents a day, varying from minor scrapes to fatal collisions.
Through Crash24 we want to remind Londoners to always wear a seat
belt, don’t drink or take drugs or use your phone and drive. This
simple advice really can mean the difference between life and
death.
“One of the biggest problems we face when dealing with
incidents on the road is getting an exact location from the person
who rings 999. Our advice is, use a landline to call if you can as
we will be able to pinpoint your location. It’s also a good idea to
use landmarks such as the name of a shop to help us find you
quickly.”
Notes to editors:
- Of the 3,000 incidents our staff attend each day, around 80 are
road traffic collisions. That’s about 2,350 a month.
- We attend more road incidents between 5pm and 6pm, and on
Fridays
In 2010 we attended approximately 28,400 road accidents - October
was our busiest month (2858 incidents).
- In 2011 July has been the busiest month so far (2630 road
traffic incidents)
- Out of the 28,404 who were taken to hospital following road
traffic accidents in 2010, about 25 per cent were aged between 21
and 30 and five per cent were under ten. Over half of these
patients were male, around 55 per cent.
- The BBC crash map http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15975720
For further information about the London Ambulance Service or
this news release please contact the communications department on
020 7783 2286.
Find out more about the London Ambulance Service at www.londonambulance.nhs.uk
or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/ldn_ambulance