An hour after 18-year-old Jessica Lever said how much she wanted to drive, she was in tears after seeing the latest graphic initative to improve road safety awareness among teenagers.

The teenager from Culham was one of more than 500 teenagers left shocked after watching a film to mark the launch of the Safe Drive Stay Alive campaign at the King's Centre, in Osney Mead, Oxford, yesterday.

It is the result of a partnership between Thames Valley Police, three fire and rescue services, the ambulance service, doctors from accident and emergency and council road safety officers. The aim is to reduce the number of teenage drivers and passengers killed on the roads by making young people more aware of the dangers they face each time they get into a car.

The film showed a reconstruction of four youngsters on a night out. On the way to a nightclub their car crashed into a tree. Two died and the others were left with serious injuries. After seeing the film, Jessica said: "After watching the film I felt as I never wanted to drive. But, I do want to - and I realise now how important it is not to speed."

Daniel Orme, who lost his best friend Howard Hillsdon in the crash on Oxford's Eastern Bypass last year, said: "Hopefully they have seen some of the effects of a fatal road collision without experiencing it for real. The best way to understand an accident is to be involved in it, but if they can get something from this without being in a crash it can only be a good thing."

Formula One racing car driver Sam Bird is supporting the initiative. He said: "Hopefully today has given these kids the awareness that when they go on roads it's to get from A to B safely, not the fastest, and hopefully they realise what they have seen could happen to them."

Also there to give their support was Alex Pettyfer, who played Alex Rider in this year's Stormbreaker film, and actress Dani Harmer who plays Tracey Beaker in the BBC series. During the film, police, fire and medical staff who were involved in the incident shared their experiences. The family of the teenagers who died also spoke.

Thames Valley Police sergeant Phil Hanham, based in Taplow, Berkshire, often has to attend accidents, assessing the scene before fire and ambulance crews arrive. He said he found that difficult, but it could get worse.

He said: "Another part of my job is after the accident when I have to tell the family what has occurred. Sometimes I have to go to tell them their son or daughter has died.

"Driving can be great fun and I'm not saying don't do it. I'm saying be careful. If you think your friend is driving too fast, tell them."

Ambulance technician Eric Smith said: "There are very few accidents that aren't preventable. Most can be avoided and we try not to call them accidents because most of aren't."

After presentations in Reading, Milton Keynes and High Wycombe, the team will be at Oxford's New Theatre on Thursdaynov 9, where seats are still available. To book call Annie Tysom on 01865 846350.

The launch of the Safe Drive Stay Alive campaign followed another grim weekend on Oxfordshire's roads which saw two drivers lose their lives.

A 21-year-old male driver died following a collision on the A415, close to Cokethorpe School near Ducklington, at about 8.30am on Saturday. And on Sunday at 12.28am, a 50-year-old man died after suffering multiple injuries in a single-vehicle crash on the A338 near Letcombe Regis, three miles south of Wantage.

This brought the total death toll on the county's roads to 52 this year, 12 more than the whole of last year. The two men involved in the latest crashes have not yet been named by police.