FIREFIGHTERS have a unique perspective on our county's road toll of misery and if young drivers were exposed to the gruesome sights they regularly witness many would be hanging up their car keys for good.

Given the regularity of carnage on our highways, you'd think these professionals would be quick to draw a line under what they see during their working lives - you couldn't be further from the truth.

Dorset Fire and Rescue Service community safety officer Simon Hart, a man with 14 years' experience in the service, said: "I can remember every fatal crash I have been to. In my head I can still see every one exactly how it was at the time."

His worst memory was from an accident in Puddletown, years ago, when a collision with a wall killed five teenagers in the same car.

He recalled: "There was a real deathly silence at the scene accompanied by that heavy smell of gear oil. It's just one of those things, you just know. You almost don't have to check to see if anyone is alive. You just know.

"The only way I can see things changing is if the people out on the roads change. The road is always blamed. They say it is a just a bad road' but I don't know of any fatal crashes which have been put down to the road surface or road engineering. You are in control of your car, you are the one putting your foot down to get round that corner a little faster."

The fireman is set to trial a road safety campaign for young drivers, aged 17 to 25, which will see him going into youth clubs and targeting young people's hangouts in the coming months.

But he doesn't lay the blame for road deaths solely at the door of young motorists. "Yes, we are targeting young drivers and welcome support from the Echo, but young drivers are not the only problem in Dorset. What we don't want is for people over 25 to start thinking, OK, I'm brilliant, I'm safe now. Older people still crash and die on our roads as well. To be honest, in my 14 years' experience, fatal accidents can happen to anyone."

But what does he think the answer is? How can the government reduce the accidents on Dorset's roads which left scores seriously injured and killed seven young people last year?

Plans are afoot to toughen up the driving test, effectively rising the driving age from 17 to 18 through a series of beefed-up key skills tests, but will this make a difference?

Firefighter Hart said: "Personally I think it could. It is a good idea because at 17 you're not even classed as an adult. Potentially, if you pass your test at 17 and have a rich mummy and daddy, you could be driving about in one of the fastest cars out there - and you are still only a kid.

"But even with improvements to the driving test, you are still only passing an examination, you are not gaining experience. Inexperience comes hand-in-hand with young drivers, and no matter what age you put them on the roads they will always be inexperienced for the first few years.

"There is obviously is no simple answer. All we can do is tell drivers the facts, I don't think we should hide anything. It is impossible for the fire service to cut all road deaths out - in the same way we will never be able to stop all house fires.

"The only way I can see things changing is if the people on the roads change their attitudes. If young drivers could see the things I have seen I am sure they would change."

Only a few nights ago he stopped in Wimborne and spoke to a couple of young motorists, asking them what they thought the preventative approach should be.

He explained: "They said it is the graphic stuff they need to see. Whenever I ask young drivers What would make a difference to you? What would make you sit up and think?' They all say, graphic stuff, real pictures."

But even the most graphic images will never compare to going out on a job. "In the past we have gone out, the person is dead and the police have to carry out their investigation. So we go home for five or six hours and all we can think of is we will be going back later to cut a dead body out of the wreckage.

"Every week the death toll on the UK roads is the same as if an airliner had crashed. How long do you think it would take the government to ground all flights if this was the case? Basically, road deaths are so common we just accept them, but I am not prepared to do that and I will be doing everything I can to make young people aware of the dangers and the consequences."