AN EMERGENCY service charity hopes an awareness campaign will help tackle the growing number of road traffic collisions.

As the number of road traffic collisions attended by Midlands Air Ambulance Charity continues to rise each year, the emergency pre-hospital service has launched Drive4Life in partnership with M6toll, to highlight the increasing cost to the charity.

The campaign highlights the increasing trend in the number of road traffic collisions the service attends, and the cost of these call outs to the charity, which we rely wholly on community donations to operate.

So far this year the service has attended 62 serious road traffic collisions in Shropshire.

This was 15 per cent of all road traffic collisions we attended, and for several of patients, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity was the difference between life and death.

Each air ambulance mission costs the organisation £2,500, which is solely funded through the generosity of the communities it serves and business donations.

In 2017, Midlands Air Ambulance Charity attended 664 RTCs, which cost a shocking £1.7million.

Ian Roberts, air operations manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Due to the nature of our operation, and the ability to bring enhanced pre-hospital care to the roadside, the critical care paramedics and doctors often called out to some of the most badly injured patients involved in road-related incidents.

“Unfortunately, there is an upward trend in the number of RTCs we attend year on year, which has a cost impact on the charity."

The charity attended 493 collisions in 2015, which cost £1.232million and in 2016, the 541 RTCs cost £1.352million.

Mr Roberts added: "We saw a 23 per cent increase in RTCs in 2017, which equated to almost two per day and cost £1.7million. Already this year, we have attended 405 RTCs, which cost £1.012million."

Sofia Voutianitis, corporate partnerships manager for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity, said that having the very best clinical care gives patients the best chance of survival and full recovery.

“Due to the rising number of RTCs the aircrew attend each year, the cost to the charity is naturally on the rise too. As a service, which operates solely on donations, it is extremely important we continue to raise funds to ensure we can respond to these patients whenever we’re needed," she added

“Drive4Life therefore aims to highlight why it is so important to support us, and as part of the campaign, we are working alongside longstanding corporate partner, M6toll, to encourage car dealerships to get involved and donate to us, every time they sell a vehicle.”

James Hodson, director of motorway operations at M6toll, adds: “While statistically the M6toll is one of the safest motorways in the UK, we are always grateful for the lifesaving support of the Midlands Air Ambulance when accidents do occur.

“We are so proud to support this valuable campaign, helping to communicate vital road safety messages to drivers across the Midlands and beyond.”

To find out more about the Drive4Life campaign, visit: www.midlandsairambulance.com/drive4life