Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson and Department for Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd and Marguerite Brosnan, CEO AXA Ireland at the Police Service of Northern Ireland Roadsafe Road Show at Stormont.
The award-winning Police Service of Northern Ireland Roadsafe Road Show took its compelling and hard hitting road safety message to Stormont on Tuesday, October 15th.
The show is normally reserved for school pupils across Northern Ireland, however this week, was shown to MLAs, politicians, Sports groups and other officials at a special showing in Stormont’s Long Gallery.
The roadshow, devised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland Road Policing Unit and supported by AXA Insurance and Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership, has been running for two decades.
Recognising that young people aged 25 and under are one of the age groups most at risk of being killed or seriously injured on our roads each year, the roadshow aims to bring its message to those about to start out on what will, hopefully, be a long and safe motoring career.
The roadshow, which so far has been seen by tens of thousands of teenagers across Northern Ireland, depicts graphically how a night out can end in tragedy and permanent disability.
The story is told by a police officer, a paramedic, a fire officer, a young man who was jailed following a serious road traffic collision he was involved in, and a young person, who was paralysed following a horrific collision. The narrative is interspersed with music and video clips.
Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson said:
"The Roadsafe Roadshow has been a major success and it enables us to bring a road safety message to thousands of young people in the highest risk group. We have no doubt that the road show shocks, perhaps even horrifies, our young audiences. Now was the chance for a much broader audience to view the road show and take away the important message.
"We believe that showing realistically just what happens on our roads has an impact on those who attend, from students to MLAS. Our hope is that after seeing the roadshow they all realise how vulnerable they are and they must respect the roads and other users.
"One of the hardest parts of any police officer's job is breaking the news of the death or injury of a loved one to relatives. It is especially heart-breaking when that news is of a young person whose whole life lay ahead. Most traffic collisions could have been avoided and we hope that the road show will help young people realise the consequences of their actions.”
Department for Infrastructure Minister John O’Dowd added:
“This roadshow gives us a powerful and important reminder of the devastation caused and the lives shattered following serious road traffic collisions.
“The death rate on our roads is, on average, one per week and the devastation each and every road death leaves in its wake knows no boundaries.
“As road users we must all do everything we can – both individually and collectively – to reduce road deaths and serious injury and to make sure we all return home safe from our journeys at the end of the day.”
Marguerite Brosnan, CEO AXA Ireland said:
“AXA Insurance is proud to sponsor the Roadsafe Roadshow event which is now entering its 21st year. As one of the largest insurance groups in Europe we deal with numerous claims each week as a result of road collisions.
“The effects are well documented, too many young people are being killed on our roads or injured for life. 71 people lost their lives on Northern Ireland roads in 2023, an increase of 16 fatalities on the previous year.
”I hope that young students who usually attend this event will think twice about the seriousness of road safety and the consequences of taking risks on the roads.”
A spokesperson from the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership said:
“The Partnership is committed to contributing to reducing the number of collisions and causalities on our roads by preventing and detecting speeding offences. We are now delighted to also sponsor the Roadshow as a means of reaching young people and helping them make safer choices on the roads.”