Road Safety
GAA fans get road safety message
By Noel Gibbons
24, Jun 2011 - 08:56

Thousands of GAA fans travelling to a major championship match in Mayo this Sunday have been given a special 'drive safely' message.

Galway and Mayo may be in direct opposition in this football championship showdown in Castlebar but the road safety officers from both counties and the football managers of both teams have teamed up to deliver the a road safety message.

The campaign asks motorists and passengers to make a personal commitment to drive at appropriate and legal speeds in a bid to tackle concerns about speeding on our roads and a special appeal will be made at the big match on Sunday for all the fans to drive with care.

Tomas O Flaharta Galway Manager said: ""On the football pitch, speed is a necessity - but excessive and inappropriate speed on the road is not ‘fair play'.

"Apart from the obvious risk of causing injury and death, it also creates distress among other road users leading to people feeling unsafe as they walk or cycle on our roads."

"I am proud to support this worthwhile campaign, and I hope that local people will help to make their communities safer places."

James Horan Mayo Manager said: "Speeding traffic is a prime concern in many communities. We want motorists to think about their speed and how it might affect others as they pass through our communities. Sometimes this might mean slowing down to a speed below that of the signed limit. We hope everyone takes note."

"We want people to drive safely this weekend. There will be a large volume of traffic on the roads for the game, and we urge people to take care and to ensure that their trip to this great sporting occasion does not end in tragedy," said Noel Gibbons (Mayo) and Deirdre Caulfield (Galway.)