Teenagers in Mid Ulster served hard hitting road safety message

by Gráinne Connolly

Teenagers in Mid Ulster were given the chance to attend the award winning Roadsafe Roadshow this week, devised by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Roads Policing Unit and supported by AXA Insurance. 

The Roadshow, which has picked up a number of prestigious education and training awards, was performed to sixth formers in Dungannon Leisure Centre on November 8th. 

Recognising that many people under the age of 25 are killed or injured on our roads each year, the show aims to bring its message to those at the at the age to start driving.

So far, thousands of teenagers across Northern Ireland has seen how it depicts graphically, the ways a night out can end in tragedy and permanent disability.

The story is told by a police officer, a paramedic, a fire officer, an Accident and Emergency consultant and a young person, who was paralysed following a horrific collision. 

The narrative interspersed with music, video clips and television and cinema adverts.

(Constable Trevor Kirke, PCSP Chair Cllr Ken Reid, and those who took part in the Roadsafe Roadshow)

Constable Trevor Kirke, the PSNI Roads Safety Education Officer, said,

"The Roadsafe Roadshow has been a major success. We have been able to bring a road safety message to thousands of young people in the highest risk group.

"I have no doubt that the road show shocks, perhaps even horrifies, our young audiences. We make no apology for that.

"We believe that showing realistically just what happens on our roads, has an impact on the students who attend. I hope that after seeing the road show they realise that they are not indestructible; that they are as vulnerable on the roads as the next person and that 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 heartbreaking 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".

Cllr Ken Reid, PCSP Chair of Mid Ulster Police and Community Safety Partnership (PSCP) said,

“Every parent’s nightmare is to hear that knock on the door and to be told that their child has been involved in a road traffic collision. 

"Shocking though it may be, this Roadshow aims to help our young people understand that while they may feel completely in control, they are most at risk of becoming involved in a road traffic collision at the start of their motoring life. 

"I am very pleased that the PCSP is supporting the PSNI to deliver such a serious message in such an effective way.”