Students at the City of Bath College are helping to shape a new campaign to improve safety along the River Avon following three deaths in nine months.
More than 50 IT students are working with community leaders to come up with innovative ways to make sure people get home safely after a night out.
The high-profile campaign will focus on the importance of groups of friends staying together while drinking in the city.
This in turn aims to prevent anyone from walking home alone along the tow path and losing their life in the River Avon.
The Level 3 students are working with Bath & North East Somerset Council and Avon & Somerset Police to launch a city-wide campaign aimed at young people, particularly students.
They are already looking at the possibility of a new mobile phone app that will track the movements of groups of friends and send out texts if anyone gets separated.
IT Lecturer Geraldine Hudson said the students were playing a crucial part in a campaign which could help to save lives.
She said: “It’s a campaign with a very important river safety message, and it’s the students’ job to come up with ways to get the message across.
“We are not telling young people what they can and can’t do; we are not saying young people shouldn’t go out and drink.
“We are just urging everyone in a group of friends to stay safe. Groups of friends should look out for one another and make sure everyone in the group gets home safe.”
She added: “There is plenty of enthusiasm from the students about this project and lots of ideas are floating around already.”
Students have met representatives from the council and police to discuss the campaign and will present their ideas to them in early November.
City of Bath College was approached about the campaign after the death of 18-year-old Sammuel Amin, who died after falling into the river following a night out.
Sammuel’s death was the third this year and the sixth in five years in the River Avon.
Many of the students will use their ideas, project plans and timelines as proof of meeting client requirements for their project management coursework.
Student Jack Griffin, 17, said: “The campaign is all about making sure people are aware of where their friends are. It’s about staying in groups and not straying off too far on your own.
“It doesn’t take much for one person to get separated from the crowd and head home alone. We need to do something that will grab the attention of young people and get the message across.”
Student Matthew Elliot, 30, said: “When I was younger and out in town, I never used to worry about getting split up and walking home alone. You just don’t care but after a few drinks you might not realise the dangers.
“We want to tell people that it’s important to know where your friends are.
“Something needs to be done to improve the situation; there’s been too many deaths already.”
Student Callum McGarry, 17, added: “It’s a good idea to get us involved as we’re young and the campaign is aimed at young people.
“It needs to be an attention-grabbing campaign and I hope it works.”
The students were asked to help with the campaign as they successfully worked with community leaders to collate questionnaire results from thousands of school children in Bath and North East Somerset’s cyberbullying survey.