Road safety message hits home for 450 Leitrim students at roadshow event

Around 450 students from secondary schools across Leitrim attended a hard-hitting road safety roadshow aimed at highlighting the devastating consequences of road traffic collisions and the importance of making safe choices on the roads.

The event, hosted by Leitrim County Council, the Road Safety Authority, An Garda Síochána, Leitrim Fire Service and the National Ambulance Service, brought students together for a day of powerful presentations, real-life experiences and a live emergency response demonstration.

Sponsored by Lough Rynn Castle Estate & Gardens in Mohill, the roadshow delivered one clear message: road traffic collisions are not random accidents. They are often the result of human choices and human error, and they can happen to any one of us.

Cathaoirleach of Leitrim County Council, Mary Bohan, welcomed the students and encouraged them to take the road safety message to heart as they become the next generation of drivers and road users.

She highlighted the worrying rise in road deaths and serious injuries in recent months and stressed the importance of education and awareness in helping to reverse this trend.

Students heard from a range of speakers, including a Road Safety Promotion Officer with the Road Safety Authority, representatives from An Garda Síochána, Leitrim Fire Service and the National Ambulance Service, retired Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Sligo University Hospital Dr Fergal Hickey, road traffic collision survivor Elaine Hanley, Vice President and PRO of the Irish Road Victims’ Association Leo Lieghio, and funeral director David McGowan.

The presentations included first-hand accounts from emergency service personnel who attend collision scenes on roads across the country, providing students with an insight into the devastating consequences of road traffic collisions for victims, their families and communities.

One of the most impactful parts of the day was an outdoor emergency services demonstration by Leitrim Fire Service.

Students watched a re-enactment of how emergency services respond to a collision, including firefighters working to cut the driver from one vehicle before ambulance personnel transferred the casualty onto a stretcher for transport to hospital. Meanwhile, Gardaí breathalysed the driver of the other vehicle, who was then detained by Gardaí.

Throughout the event, students were challenged to think about the decisions they make every time they use the road, whether as passengers, pedestrians or future drivers.

The message was clear: pedestrians should stay alert, wear reflective gear and put their phones away when crossing the road. Passengers should always wear their seatbelts, while drivers must remember that they are responsible not only for their own lives, but also for the lives of their passengers and every other road user around them.

Delivered in a hard-hitting and thought-provoking manner, the roadshow used first-hand experiences and real-life stories to encourage students to understand that serious road traffic collisions do not just happen to somebody else.

The choices made in a matter of seconds can have consequences that last a lifetime.

As students left the event, organisers hoped they would take one lasting message with them: every journey involves choices, and making the right choice could save a life.

Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, and together we can work towards ensuring that every road user gets home safely.

Leitrim County Council thanked all presenters who gave freely of their time to speak at the event, as well as Lough Rynn Castle Estate & Gardens for kindly sponsoring it.