Safe driving programme to begin in secondary schools next month

The safety programme contains 10 teaching units to be rolled out to post-primary schools this coming September and focuses on preparing students for learning to drive while also educating them on the dangers of engaging in unsafe behaviour

A new safety programme to teach transition year students how to drive while creating awareness of unsafe behaviour behind the wheel is to be rolled out from September.

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is introducing the crew safety programme in secondary schools amid a concerning rise in road accidents and fatalities.

A total of 119 people have died on our roads so far this year, which is 14 more than the same time last year. This toll includes 20 pedestrians who have lost their lives, seven cyclists, and three people using e-scooters.

A woman in her 20s became the latest casualty when she died in a three-vehicle crash involving a truck, a van and a car in Co Wexford on Tuesday morning.

The RSA has now developed a new teacher-led, road safety programme for transition years.

It contains 10 teaching units to be rolled out to post-primary schools this coming September and focuses on preparing students for learning to drive while also educating them on the dangers of engaging in unsafe behaviour with a focus on building lasting impact from experiential learning.

Between 2014 and 2022, a total of 56 children died and 852 were seriously injured on Irish roads. Education Minister Norma Foley has been in discussions since last year with the RSA to develop the new short course.

A number of options were discussed, including issuing a certificate for TY students which would be helpful for their CV; giving those who have completed the modules a voucher to reduce the cost of the driving test, or awarding marks towards the driver theory test.

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"We're very actively looking at what could be done to engage students in the first place — that's always the most important thing — and secondly, that it would be a benefit to them ultimately," Ms Foley told the Irish Examiner.

The programme’s introduction will be phased and the RSA is working with a number of partners to deliver it. It will be officially launched at the end of August.

Gardaí and emergency services personnel remained at the scene of the latest fatal collision on Tuesday, between a car and a van, which happened on the N25 at Barntown at approximately 6.30am.

The driver of the car, a woman in her 20s, was pronounced dead at the scene. Her body was taken to University Hospital Waterford where an autopsy will take place. The driver of the van, a man in his 40s, was taken to Wexford General Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.