A YOUNG campaigner hopes her story will encourage young passengers to say no before getting into a vehicle with an unsafe driver.

Jade Kingdom, 25, who has experienced being put at risk in a vehicle, is working with other young people from Milford Haven Youth Centre to encourage them to think twice about the dangers before getting in a car.

Jade was just 13 when she was driven by someone over the limit. The journey made her feel incredibly unsafe and she has felt uneasy travelling in cars ever since.

“Every time I get in the car with someone I always question whether it’s safe, I’m always on edge,” said Jade, from Pembroke.

“At the start of the project we found a lot of us had had experiences of getting into people’s cars with drivers that were under the influence, either on drugs or alcohol.”

Jade has made a Fixers film titled ‘Which Road Would You Take?’ with the message “if in doubt, speak out” in a bid to encourage young people to not give in to peer pressure.

Fixers works with young people, providing them with professional resources to help them campaign on issues they feel strongly about.

You can watch Jade’s film at fixers.org.uk

Everyone in the group had experienced being in similar situations but none had ever stopped themselves from getting in the car.

Jade said: “I think there’s an element of peer pressure, especially when we get in the car with people from older generations, we feel like we have to get in the car.

“I know someone who got a lift back on a night out and she got in the car with her friend who was on drugs, but she didn’t realise because he seemed fine.

“You don’t always realise when people are on drugs but with alcohol you can usually smell it – you have to be so careful.

“I always have quite a few taxi numbers saved in my phone, so I know I can get home safely if something happens.”

The group has made a road safety presentation and are hoping to share their message in local schools and colleges.

Jade said: “I would advise other people to speak out and to not be afraid to say something. It doesn’t matter if all of your friends are getting in the car- it doesn’t mean you have to do it.

“If in doubt, speak out.”