A NORTHSIDE woman received an award last week for her contribution to road safety over the last three decades.
In 1983, Gertie Shields, from Balbriggan, lost her daughter in a road traffic collision when a drunk driver struck the vehicle she was travelling in.
Since then, Gertie has tirelessly campaigned for legislative and social change in relation to drink driving. Hers was a lone voice in road safety at a time when over 400 people were dying annually on our roads each year.
Gertie, who set up Mothers Against Drink Driving (MADD) following the tragedy, was presented with the Supreme Award at this year’s Road Safety Authority (RSA)
‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’ Awards held at Farmleigh.
RSA chairman Gay Byrne, who presented 29 of the awards on the day, said Gertie has given over so much of her life to making Irish roads a safer place.
“Her work has contributed to the sea change in attitudes towards drink driving in Ireland, as well as changes in the legislation on blood alcohol levels and dangerous driving,
? stated Gay.
“For the past three decades, driven by the personal tragedy of the loss of her 19-year-old daughter Paula, Gertie Shields has unrelentingly campaigned to rid this country of the scourge of drink driving.
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Gay said that Gertie first came to his attention when she made an appearance on the Late Late Show in the
’80s.
“Since then she has become one of the most recognised and admired campaigning names against drink driving as she took her message to the airwaves and print media across the country and across generations,
? he added.
“To look back now on her ideas and recommendations in the early years of Mothers Against Drink Driving is to see many of the measures that have, at last, been introduced in recent years.
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Hundreds of nominations were submitted to this year’s awards with three winners from Dublin in total.