Driving instructors voluntarily put themselves into a car crash rescue to pass on a vital road safety message to learner drivers.

Eight instructors attended a special day during road safety awareness week at Lewes Community Fire Station.

The volunteers sat inside a car while firefighters used cutting equipment to rescue them.

It is hoped that by allowing local driving instructors to go through first-hand what it is like to be rescued, the experience will filter down to the new drivers they will teach in the upcoming months and years.

Firefighter Joe McDonald said: “This is a valuable opportunity for us to reach people who are teaching the next generation of drivers.

“They will be able to describe to their pupils the experience of being rescued.

“Road traffic collisions are distressing for the people involved anyway but what many people don’t realise is the time it takes to remove someone safely.

“There’s also a lot of noise and the situation becomes even more complicated if the casualty needs urgent medical treatment too.”