The survival rules of the road

A team of 10 road safety officers are on the road five days a week, spreading the safety message in schools and colleges all over Ireland.

The primary and secondary school roadshow and presentations cover all aspects of cycling, as well as walking and travelling by public transport.

The aim is to build on different modules throughout a child's progress, from primary to third-level, so they have an awareness of all aspects of safety, says Michael Rowland, director of road safety, driver education and research.

“Our ultimate goal is to encourage a road safety culture in children,” he says, “so that they grow up with such a culture and have the knowledge and skills to make wise decisions that inform them throughout life.”

While Rowland acknowledges that this may sound “lofty”, he points out that, like many people, when he was growing up road safety basically comprised “the Green Cross Code”.

And he admits that engaging secondary school and third level pupils is more challenging. One tactic is to use an interactive mobile shuttle, which includes two bikes, not unlike gym bikes, where pupils are taken through a range of safety scenarios to which they must react.

As any cyclist will tell you, overtaking a truck when it is turning left can have fatal consequences. Pupils are taught about this and shown how the truck driver’s view from the cab of the vehicle is limited as cyclists approach on the left.

The mobile shuttle is so popular that it is currently booked out for two years. A new one has also been commissioned and is due onstream this year. Other topics covered include, drink driving, speeding and use of a mobile phone.

In secondary schools the RSA officers regularly utilise the service of Transition Year students, briefing them beforehand to help them in their presentations.

Competitions and quizzes are also used to get students thinking about aspects of safety and risky behaviour.

“The idea also is that by the time a student has left secondary school, he or she will be able to sit the driver theory test,” Rowland says.

However, he and his staff do not target only students, but provide training and information for various community groups.

RSA research shows that cyclists are more likely to be injured in urban areas but killed on rural areas. Middle-aged males are the most likely victims. A large proportion of incidents occur at junctions and intersections and in collision with a vehicle.

Is Ireland becoming a safer place through training and information initiatives like these? Rowland believes it is, citing figures.

In 2007 the Government target was for no more than 60 deaths per million of the population, or 21 deaths per month in a year. That fell to 14 deaths per month last year. In 2007 Ireland was in “the high teens” in terms of the league of road safety in European countries. Last year, Ireland ranked sixth.

“I guess complacency is the biggest challenge,” Rowlands says. “Once the message on safety has got through people tend to relax. You have to continually remind people.”

rsa.ie