SAFE DRIVE: Alva family living with the reality of life-changing injuries

Pauline Howie and her daughter Jen relive the "nightmare" of what happened to them every time they lend their heartfelt pleas to the crucial road safety show.

Before hundreds of teenagers, they detail the traumatic consequences of reckless driving and the ongoing impact of a family sustaining life-changing injuries.

In July 2004, Jen was rushed to hospital after the car she was travelling in was destroyed in a major accident.

She broke her neck, was left paralysed from the chest down and endured an entire year of recovery.

The two others with her in the car, including the driver, both escaped unharmed.

Both Jen and Pauline have signed the #KeepSafeDrive online petition as part of their continuing attempts to the show's message alive.

And while discussing the accident proves difficult each time, Pauline and Jen hope their story might provide a valuable lesson to young people before they get behind the wheel.

Pauline told the Advertiser: "Jen's dad, her sister and myself were sitting at home when we got the knock at the door.

"Jen had been injured, but we had no idea how much or how badly she was hurt.

"We just drove straight to [Stirling Royal] and when we got there, her boyfriend's cousin was outside on his phone so I thought: 'It's not serious; it's maybe just minor injuries'."

However, they soon realised that was not the case, and Pauline remembers the uncomfortable look on a staff member's face when they said who they all were.

She added: "Someone then came and took us to the end of this corridor and they wouldn't let us in to resus, where Jen was.

"She was so badly injured that the consultants and nurses were too busy and we were to stay out of their way.

"There was police in the corridor and I couldn't look at them because I didn't want to see their expressions.

"Eventually, the consultant came to tell us that her neck was broken and basically that she still wasn't out the woods.

"It was a nightmare; and you always think that these things happen to other people, but it was happening to us that night."

Jen's family finally got to see her in intensive care before she was transferred to the spinal injuries unit in Glasgow.

It would be a year before she could get home, following surgery and physiotherapy.

Pauline added: "They said she had sustained life-changing injuries. But it wasn't just her life that changed, it was my life and everyone's life.

"It's like when you throw a stone in the pond and it all goes out. It affects everybody; friends and family.

"After Jen's accident there were a lot people who came to the house, bringing flowers and gifts. It was such a shock to the whole community – like the ripples in the pond.

"Most people will think it's never me or someone I know, but in Jen's case it was. It affected a lot of people in Alva."

A year or so after that, Pauline was asked by one of the Safe Drive, Stay Alive volunteers if she would share her story as part of a road safety show aimed at teaching school pupils about the dangers of being careless and inattentive behind the wheel.

Joining the project not only brought their cautionary tale to thousands, it has also helped the family cope with the accident and its effects.

Pauline said: "I said I'd give it a go and I came and told our story. Hopefully, the kids and adults that come along have listened to our story.

"For me personally, it has helped me deal with what has happened to Jen. It's such a life-changing thing."

Jen added: "I didn't come to the show at first; I couldn't cope with it at all.

"It took me a few years, but then I came and spoke with the team and now I can say a wee bit about what happened.

"But the whole scheme has helped me to deal with it. So, it's not just about awareness for the kids; it's helped us a lot."

The future of Safe Drive, Stay Alive remains uncertain as budget cuts could mean the programme does not run in 2018.

Pauline said: "I'm really quite upset that this might possibly be the last year that we do it, because of funding issues.

"Not long after Jen's accident there were two road deaths here. A young girl near Coalsnaughton and and young boy near Dollar were killed.

"It would be a tragedy if that was to start rearing its head again."

She added: "The whole Safe Drive thing is a fantastic show. If our target audience can remember what they saw here and it makes them think twice about doing something reckless, then I think that's a job well done.

"We've reached 40,000 kids now and, hopefully, that's 40,000 changes in attitude."

"We don't want to see anyone taking risks behind the wheel – because it's not just themselves they are endangering. It could be someone else in the car or on the road.

"In Jen's case, the driver and his cousin got away without a scratch."

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