Pupils keep streets safe: Warning over vandalised bus seat belts

THE VANDALISM of safety-belts in school buses was a “worrying issue” which must be addressed by parents, teachers, Bus Éireann and schoolchildren, the chief executive of the Road Safety Authority has warned.

Speaking at a ceremony in Dublin yesterday to award younger schoolchildren for their road-safety efforts, Noel Brett said children were among the most safety-conscious road users.

“Children and young people are very interested in car safety and safety on the roads. The use of seat-belts by young people is in the high 80s per cent. On school buses younger children are all at the front and have very hight rates of seat-belt use. The older ones, down the back, are not as good.

“And a worrying issue is the vandalism of seat-belts on school buses – cutting the belts and blocking up the clasps.”

More than 200 primary-school children were at Dublin Castle yesterday, from schools in Limerick, Kerry, Clare, Monaghan, Carlow, Dublin and Meath, to receive awards for their poster designs on safety-belt use and visibility on the roads.

The two competitions, which all national schools are invited to enter, are known as the High-Glo Silver and the Seatbelt Sheriff awards.

Rang 1 in Scoil Chaitríona, Cappamore, Co Limerick took first prize in the Seatbelt Sheriff competition, for their poster “Don’t be a Casper, Be a Fastener”, while Rang 2 in Scoil Naomh Bríd, Killougher, Redhills, Co Cavan took first in the High Glo Silver competition, for their poster, “Be Wise, Be Bright, Let Others See The Light”.

Katie Crowe (8) and Emira Lahen (8), of Scoil Chaitríona, said that when their teacher Paul Sexton called them all out to the hall four weeks ago they were “really scared”.

“We thought we’d been really bold,” said Katie.

When they heard they had won and that they had won some money for the school, they thought they could go to Australia.

“But we decided to use it come up for this instead,” said Emira.

Coming up with the poster caption was hard work. “We had to think for 10 or five minutes,” she nodded.

Dylan Courtney (8) and Emma Meehan (8), from Scoil Naomh Bríd, said the hardest part of their work was “working together”.