General
In the Blink of an Eye
By Noel Gibbons
30, Apr 2010 - 17:41

As the May bank holiday weekend approaches, road safety professionals are advising travellers on our road network to plan their routes and to allow enough time for their journeys, almost half of road deaths deaths occurred at weekends, with Sunday being the most dangerous day of the year in 2009.

In recent years, road safety messages have relied heavily on confronting and bloody images. However, Mayo County Council has opted for a more subtle awareness campaign that, arguably, packs even greater wallop for motorists. Dubbed the "Flash Before your Eyes" campaign, in Co Mayo will see a series of 5 billboards erected along Charlestown bypass on the N5 national primary route for the May bank holiday weekend. Billboards will be placed close enough from each other, so that when a car travels past them at 100 km/h, the effect will result in a flash of images, with the final billboards spaced further apart to reveal the road safety message.

The posters on the Charlestown bypass, Co. Mayo.

The signs shows a male at different stages of his life, followed by the slogan "Don't let your life flash before your eyes - slow down and take a break".

It's a poignant message delivered directly to motorists during their commute.

Mayo's Council's road safety Officer, Noel Gibbons, says he hopes the campaign will be effective at raising awareness about the consequences of speeding and driver fatigue and will have a positive impact on driving behaviour. "There are still far too many road collision that could be prevented if people simply changed their behaviour, stupid driving behaviour can cost your life in the blink of an eye- we will be working hard to remind them of this," he said.

"Safety must be everyone's highest concern so I would encourage road users to drive safely and take regular breaks. Many people will be on the roads, increasing the risk of collisions, which can cause injury and death".

Inspector Barry Foley of the Mayo Traffic Corps "asked all road users this may bank holiday weekend to slow down, be vigilant, wear a seat belt and never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs".

This Campaign will complement An Garda Síochána's campaign Operation Safe Roads

Operation Safe Roads will take place in Mayo, Roscommon, Longford, Galway and Clare, will include the following activities:

• Gardaí will be present at high visibility daily locations on national primary routes.
• Use of VMS (variable message signs) signs with road safety messages at these locations.
• Overt speed detection operations daily on national primary routes within Speed Enforcement Zones or Collision Prone Zones.
• Random stops of HGV's, PSV's, commercial vehicles and private vehicles daily.
• Speed detection vehicle with decals (Garda markings) in conjunction with unmarked vehicle.
• To utilise ANPR (Automated Number Plate Recogition) vehicles to identify suspect, uninsured and untaxed vehicles.