With recent changes to the drink driving legislation the Mayo Road Safety Working Group are appealing to people to give a simple gift of a lift to friends and family this Christmas. The campaign asks people to commit to giving a family member or friend one lift home over the festive period using the specially designed quirky gift card.
The campaign is being lead by Cathaoirleach of County Mayo Austin Francis O'Malley and he explained the ethos behind the new initiative at the recent launch. Mr Austin Francis O Malley said, 'The Christmas period is a time of increased social activity and knowing that your family or friends has made it home safely from their work night out or family get together is "priceless". Therefore, we are asking people to commit to providing one journey over the Christmas period to help reduce the potential for road collisions. The gift of a lift home this Christmas, whilst simple and low cost, really could save their life.'
The Mayo Road Safety Working Group traditionally issues a strong appeal to all road users to take extra care over the festive season and to consider the consequences, for them and their families, of reckless behaviour.
Adding his voice to the Christmas road safety appeal Mayo County Council's Road Safety Officer, Noel Gibbons said, 'Road users should be particularly careful at this time of year when roads are at their busiest. Be responsible. Don't drive if you've been drinking. Slow down and always wear a seat belt. Most people are getting these important live saving messages but some are not. Don't allow your actions to bring a tragedy to any family this Christmas.'
The Cathaoirleach added, 'I love to see people out socialising and meeting up with family and friends at this time of year. This initiative will hopefully mean we can all do it without anyone being involved in an accident. Give the gift of a lift, print the card from our website at www.roadsafetymayo.ie and play your part in keeping everyone safe this Christmas.'
Garda Traffic Garda Inspector Joe Doherty welcomed the initiative and reminded people to plan their journeys in advance, he said, 'We are reminding drivers to plan ahead when going out for a drink over the holiday period. Leave the keys at home; get a taxi, minibus, public transport, designate a driver or take part in the Mayo Road Safety Working Group's the "Gift of a Lift" initiative to make the roads a safe place this Christmas. Last December despite the bad weather, An Garda Síochána detected 786 people driving under the influence. So we are catching people make no mistake of that, so if you drink and drive this Christmas, prepare to be caught.'
The gift voucher is available at www.roadsafetymayo.ie or at your local public service centre and entitles your friends to a lift home by you, their designated driver from a celebration this festive season.
