General
Joint Initiative to Make Young Cyclists Safer
5, May 2009 - 17:52

You have heard of the driving test - well now over 200 schoolchildren will cycle their way through the streets of  Westport, Co. Mayo (which was recently awarded the prestigious National Tidy Towns title) in a novel road safety campaign to test the young cyclists' skills.

Specially-trained garda cyclists will pass on road safety skills that could help to keep the children save and alive on the nation’s roads.

Expert Garda cyclists will put the young cyclists through their paces, test their skills and ensure that they are safe on the road.

Each team will be accompanied by a judge at the event on Wednesday, May20th, and will be tested on a wide range of cycling abilities, as part of an initiative by Mayo County Council’s Road Safety Officer Noel Gibbons. “It is crucial that people learn how to cycle safely on our roads from a young age, and we aim to show them some of the key aspects of road safety,” said Mr Gibbons.

The Irish Advanced Motorists (IAM) have stressed the importance of cycling safely warning that “cyclists don’t have steel armour round them like drivers do.”

The teams  will consist of three students over the age of 10. Complete with bicycle and helmet, they will manoeuvre their way through the traffic and utilise the lessons they have learned during cycling proficiency courses in their schools over the past year.

The event is being organised in association with the Mayo Gardai Siochana, Mayo Civil Defence, and Mayo County Council.

© Copyright 2009 by Castlebar - County Mayo -