Roadshow delivers a hard-hitting message to students

DRIVING a car in real life is not a computer game where you get a chance to reload.

That was the hard-hitting message that was presented to 700 Transition Year students attending the recent AXA Roadsafe Roadshow run in partnership with South Dublin County Council and emergency services at the Red Cow Moran Hotel. 

AXA said they were delighted to be working with South Dublin County Council to bring the AXA Roadsafe Roadshow to the Southside.

This is the sixth AXA Roadsafe Roadshow of the winter schedule that already visited Dun Laoghaire, Kildare, Kerry and Fingal County Council at the end of last year and Cork last month.

Further shows are planned this month, in Mayo and Roscommon with Longford taking place in March.

 The AXA Roadsafe Roadshow is aimed primarily at Transition Year students in secondary schools. It is based on an award-winning format and depicts graphically how a night out can end in tragedy.

The show depicts what happens through driver inexperience and overconfidence with the aim to educate and highlight the various safety skills these young students need before they get behind the wheel of a car. 

Using a backdrop of contemporary music, video clips and television advertisements, the story is told by Garda David Barron, paramedic Tony Kelly, Fire Officer Darren O’Connor and A&E Consultant, Dr Philip D’Arcy.

The show culminates in a presentation by Leo Lieghio who tragically lost his daughter Marsia 13 years ago in a hit and run in Clondalkin.

Marsia was just 16-years-of-age at the time and was knocked down at a set of pedestrian lights. Leo tells the students about the raw grief he and his family have had to suffer since that terrible day. 

Antoinette McDonald, Direct, Partner and Customer Experience Directorat AXA Insurance, said: "As one of the largest insurance companies in Ireland, we deal with hundreds of claims every week as a result of traffic collisions.

“The effects are well documented – too many people are being killed on our roads or are being injured for life. Young people are particularly over-represented, and we want to educate these young people to be safe and responsible drivers of the future.

“This event tells the real-life stories of people who deal with the needless carnage caused by speed, drink and drugs on Irish roads. The show brings home the pain caused by unnecessary road crashes and the impact on people and how it has changed their lives forever.”

Ms McDonald added: “The aim of the event is to educate novice and young drivers to think twice about the seriousness of safety when learning to drive. We know that when these students start driving it will give them a new sense of freedom and we want to make sure they enjoy this new freedom but at the same time educate them on the responsibilities that go with it.”

 In 2019, 148 people lost their lives on our roads and 1,243 were seriously injured.

Over half of all fatalities have been either a driver or passenger and one third of all collisions had excessive speed as a factor.

One third of all driver and passenger fatalities were not wearing a seatbelt at the time of collision.