‘Snakes and ladders-style’ road safety game could help save lives

Innovative students have developed a road safety board game that could help save lives.

The Road to Safety game devised by transition-year students teaches players about the rules of the road in a fun way and has been short-listed to represent the region at a national student enterprise competition.

Transition-year students Denis Kelleher, Tim Healy, Cillian Clifford, Deirdre O’Brien, Danny Collins, Thomas Daly, Julianne Hayes, Eileen Crowley, Marc Fitzgerald, Matthew Murray and Michael Kearney, all pupils of Maria Immaculata Community College in Dunmanway, Co Cork, set up a mini-company called PRS Games to develop the game as part of the Student Enterprise Awards Programme.

PRS Games managing director Denis Kelleher said they are very proud of the product. “We are thrilled to be representing West Cork in Dublin and I hope we can go on to do our region proud,” he said.

“Unfortunately the number of road deaths seems to be on the increase this year, so we feel there is a definite market for our product.”

The ‘snakes and ladders-style’ game features road warning signs and penalty point squares. Each player rolls the dice and moves their car token along the board, obeying the road signs. But if a player lands on the wrong square, he accrues penalty points. If he collects 12, he must return to the start of the game.

Their supervising teacher, Sinéad Meade, said the game is suitable for all ages, familiarising people with road warning signs, and highlighting the offences which can lead to penalty points.