Road safety campaign enters the classroom

The police have launched an education resource pack today which is designed to take the road safety message in school classrooms throughout Northern Ireland.

The pack, ‘The Right to Drive – The Right to Life’ education resource pack, was launched today at the Imax Theatre in the Odyssey Complex, Belfast, with the support of AXA Insurance.

The resource pack is based on the ‘It Could Be You’ Roadsafe Roadshow, which recently picked up the overall award in the Education and Training section of the Prince Michael International Road Safety Award Scheme.

Over 4,000 students have already seen the roadshow in Northern Ireland and an additional 2,000 saw the show in the Republic when it travelled to Dublin.

The development of a resource pack allows students to learn how taking unnecessary risks on the road can change their lives and the lives of others. The pack contains a video and detailed handbook covering issues in modules and will be distributed to schools through a partnership with the five education and library boards.

The pack depicts graphically how a night out can end in tragedy and permanent disability. The story is told by a police officers, a paramedic, a fire officer, an Accident and Emergency consultant, a representative of victim support groups and 25-year-old Philip Donaghy who was paralysed following an horrific collision in the Republic of Ireland four years ago.

The PSNI’s Urban Region Road Policing Commander, Chief Inspector Mark Gilmore, said: “I have no doubt that the resource pack will shock, perhaps even horrify our young audiences. We make no apology for that. We believe that showing realistically just what happens on our roads has an impact on the students who see the show.

"I hope that after seeing the video they realise that they are not indestructible; that they are as vulnerable on the roads as the next person and that they must respect the roads and other users.”

Michelle Tierney, Resource Pack Project Manager and teacher at Dominican College, Belfast, added: “Each time a young person takes to the road, it is important that they realise the risks not only to themselves but also to their passengers and other road users. By distributing this resource pack through schools and colleges we are ensuring that we reach as many young adults as possible within a learning environment. It is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication from all the agencies involved.”

(GMcG)