World's first road death was in Ireland — New campaign aims to see zero by 2050
The first person in the world to die in a road crash happened in Ireland. Mary Ward died after she fell under the wheels of the motor vehicle she was travelling in Birr, Co. Offaly on August 31, 1869. Picture: RSA.ie
The Road Safety Authority has launched an ambitious new campaign in the hopes of reducing the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads to zero by the year 2050.
The “Who was Mary Ward? Vision Zero” campaign, named after the first person in the world to die in a road crash, encourages all road users — drivers, passengers, cyclists, and pedestrians — to make one change to prevent further tragedy on the roads.
Mary Ward died after she fell under the wheels of the motor vehicle she was travelling in Birr, Co. Offaly on August 31, 1869. A pioneering scientist and scholar, the mother of eight was 42-years-old when she died.
She achieved widespread recognition in her chosen fields of astronomy and her book ‘A World of Wonders Revealed by the Microscope’ received widespread acclaim. She was the first woman accepted into the Royal Astronomical Society.
Through the campaign, the RSA says it wants to move to towards a reality “where we see our last life lost on Irish roads".
The campaign launch comes amid a year which has, to date, seen 130 people lose their lives on Irish roads — 25 more than the total reported by this point last year.
Speaking this morning, Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Jack Chambers said the Vision Zero campaign was “achievable”.
“Between 2006 and 2018 we cut road deaths by almost two-thirds. After many successful years, there has been an alarming increase in fatalities in more recent times,” he said.
Mr Chambers also noted that it was the Government’s “ambition” to cut road deaths in half by the year 2030.
He also pledged to work with the RSA, gardaí and other stakeholders to deliver reform of the penalty points system, and to implement a review of speed limits nationwide “to work towards a future with no deaths on Irish roads.”
RSA CEO Sam Waide said that road safety requires a collective effort towards a future "where every road journey ends safely".
He said the campaign asks the public to join a “concerted effort” in helping to bring road deaths to zero by the middle of the century.
“If every member of the public today committed to making one positive change in their driving behaviour, it will make our roads a safer place and help us in achieving this vision,” he added.
The RSA’s six-month “Who was Mary Ward? Vision Zero” campaign will see adverts run on TV, video on demand, radio, social media and out of home advertising. It will consist of three phases.
According to the RSA, phase one, which launches today, answers the question, ‘Who was Mary Ward?’ and “raises awareness that the first person in the world to die in a road crash happened in Ireland and calls for a time when we see out last road fatality in Ireland.”
Phase two, which will run in October, highlights how improvements to road infrastructure, the increased use of technology in vehicles and enforcement and in education might assist in making vision zero a reality.
Phase three, which will air in the new year, will examine road-user behaviours and highlight how things like avoiding distraction, lowering speeds and always wearing seatbelts can all make a difference as regards road safety.
More information on the vision zero campaign can be found on the RSA website.
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