'Hard-hitting' PSNI Roadsafe Roadshow travels to Newry

THE Police Service of Northern Ireland’s hard-hitting Roadsafe Roadshow travelled to Newry on Friday, 5 September, where those in attendance heard first-hand accounts of the life-changing impact of fatal collisions.

Since the award-winning roadshow started in 2001, it's had a predominantly teenage audience, attended by tens of thousands of students in schools across Northern Ireland annually. It 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 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, video clips and television and cinema advertisements.

The roadshow, which is supported by AXA Insurance and The Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership, was hosted by Newry Chamber of Commerce in the Canal Court on Friday. Among those in attendance was PSNI road safety lead, Chief Superintendent Sam Donaldson, and Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins.

Chief Superintendent Donaldson says delivering the roadshow to a new audience increases road safety awareness.

"It's not only young drivers who are vulnerable, older drivers are just as vulnerable and need to be aware of that vulnerability. To date this year, 31 people have died on our roads as a result of collisions. The impact of this is colossal with lives changed in an instant, and nothing ever the same again,” says Chief Superintendent Donaldson.

"Our hope is that hearing the really stark experiences, the life changing consequences of what can happen, will remind drivers of their responsibility in keeping themselves and all other road users safe.

"It's about having honest conversations with loved ones, with families, and talking about and adhering to the fatal five every single time they get behind the wheel of their vehicle - don’t drink or take drugs and drive; slow down; don’t be careless; always wear your seat belt and never use your mobile phone while driving. ”

Minister Kimmins said: “I would like to thank Newry Chamber for hosting the PSNI Road Safe Roadshow today. The road show, which is a hard-hitting reminder of the responsibility we all have as road users to help make every journey safe to reduce the pain, loss and suffering to individuals, families and communities.

“In the north, the death rate on our roads is, on average, one per week. That is far too many lives being lost and too many families whose lives are shattered by the worst possible news. We need to have honest conversations about our personal responsibility on the road and the things we can all do to keep ourselves and others safe and I would like to thank Newry Chamber for initiating that conversation today among Newry’s vibrant business community.

“Newry Chamber is the first in the north to host the road show and the message is clear: we all share the roads and the risks and we all share the responsibility to keep everyone safe.”

Edwina Flynn, Newry Chamber of Commerce & Trade President said: “We are delighted to be the first Chamber of Commerce to host the PSNI’s Road Safe Roadshow. As business leaders and road users, we all have a responsibility to keep ourselves, our employees and our customers safe. Sadly, statistics show Newry, Mourne and Down has the highest annual rate of people who have been killed or seriously injured in collisions caused by speeding and that underlines how relevant this event is for our business community.

“Many of us here today may be older and more experienced drivers but the hard-hitting messages of this road show is as important to us as it is for younger or newer drivers. We are reminding the business community here, and further afield, of the extra care we must take to keep ourselves, our families and other road users safe.”

Julieann Martindale, AXA’s branch operations manager, said: “AXA is delighted to continue its sponsorship of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Road Safe Roadshow. For young drivers, getting behind the wheel of a car for the first time and learning to drive is an exciting milestone in their lives.

"However, our data shows that young drivers are significantly more likely to be involved in road accidents than older drivers. This Roadshow aims to provide young people on the verge of learning to drive with an honest and unfiltered account of how dangerous driving can destroy lives.”

A spokesperson from the Northern Ireland Road Safety Partnership said: “The Partnership is committed to contributing to reducing the number of collisions and casualties on our roads. We are delighted to see the Roadshow being taken to an older audience here in Newry as a means of reaching even more people and helping them make safer choices on the roads.”