600 children gear up for road safety drive

More than 600children from Cork and Limerick are taking part in one of the biggest single road safety campaigns ever undertaken.

A large streetscape has been erected in St Fanahan’s College, Mitchelstown, where children will, throughout this week, learn the do’s and don’ts of cycling or walking on our roads.

The campaign was organised by gardaí and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to instil a sense of awareness in children from a young age.

For the first time, children from pre-schools on the Cork/Limerick border are also taking part in the event.

Chief Superintendent Ger Dillane, a former head of the traffic corps in the southern region who attended yesterday’s safety exercise, said if children were trained in road safety at a young age they normally did not acquire bad habits.

“They will be taught the Safe Cross Code and what to do at pedestrian crossings and some of the rules of the road in a fun way. They will also be shown safety videos appropriate to their age,” he said.

“I spoke to a number of the children and they were very enthusiastic about it. It’s something new for them and when they are out of the classroom environment their attention is better. They also get to play a role on the streetscape.”

He said gardaí and the RSA found that children who have undertaken the course will go home and instil what they’ve learned in their parents.

Community Garda John Hennessy, who helped to organise the event, said national schools from Anglesborough and Kilbehenny in Limerick, and Mitchelstown, Ballygiblin, Glenahulla, and Ballindangan in Cork would be participating in the event.

“We’d like to thank the RSA and St Fanahan’s College for their co-operation,” he said.

A total of 26 pedestrians have been killed in Cork, Kerry, and Limerick in the last three years. A majority were elderly people.

“If we can teach them young then, they will hopefully remain safe,” Chief Supt Dillane added.