SCHOOL pupils were given a hard-hitting message on road safety from a police officer whose job it is to tell parents their beloved children have died.

Youngsters from St Joseph’s School heard from the speaker at the Safe Drive Stay Alive annual campaign, which is giving presentations to schools across Swindon at the Greenbridge Empire cinema.

Each presentation is done in front of more than 200 pupils, aiming to target them at the age before they can legally get behind the wheel.

One speaker was a family liaison officer from Wiltshire Police, whose job involves identifying victims of fatal crashes and breaking the news to families.

“I’ve given hundreds of death messages, “ said the officer. “I’ve given too many, and ones that are absolutely needless.”

Remembering one such call after a young lad had been killed in a bike crash, she told students: “In that moment I was about to tell the mum that her only son had been killed and life as she had known it would change forever.

“You’ve got the power to save each other lives, it’s so easy, you just have to ensure you wear a seatbelt, that your mates aren’t on the phone, that you don’t drink and drive.”

Alina Afonso, in Year 11 at St Joseph’s, told the Adver: “It proved a serious point and made you think about things in a way that you haven’t before. Since we were all sitting next to your friends and they mentioned real stories about how some of their friends died it kind of touched you.

“Compared to how you see adverts, it can be non-meaningful, it actually shows you the seriousness of the problem

“I found the part where they showed pictures of injured people is something that makes you think that maybe you need to view the world in a different way.”

Abigail Brown, from St Joseph’s, added: “It brought up a lot of emotions. It made me want to go and hold hands to the person next to you.

“I think it makes you go through the experience, about how you get out the car, and how it might feel to be there.”