From Castlebar - County Mayo -
Tourists targeted in Bank Holiday Road Safety Campaign
28, May 2009 - 01:55
A road safety campaign targeting
tourists will be launched on May 28th with a view to enhancing their awareness
of road safety and enlightening them on the importance of complying with the
rules of the road.
During the campaign, road safety leaflets will
be put in cars hired by customers
using Ireland West Airport knock through all car hire companies. The information
leaflets will inform the customers of the dangers of driver fatigue and other
road safety issues such as driving on the left
hand side and picking a safe place to park when stopping to take a
photograph.
Can you relate to arriving back from a holiday or after
traveling abroad for work feeling tired and having to head into a
journey home by car ?
New
research released by the Road Safety Authority shows that over one in 10 drivers
(14%) have admitted to nodding off or falling asleep while driving. The new
findings re-enforces international research which suggests that driver fatigue
could be a contributory factor in 1 in 5 driver deaths in Ireland. Therefore,
this silent killer may have claimed more than 350 road deaths in the past 5
years.
Road
Safety Officer Mr Noel Gibbons said "Falling
asleep at the wheel is something which could happen to any driver, of any age on
any journey so we want this
campaign to ensure that more motorists are made aware of the tragic road
accidents that fatigue can cause and are asking them to be well rested before
taking to the road,"
“We
want to encourage people to get into the habit of pulling over if they are
starting to get tired while driving. A short stop, a stretch of the legs, and a
cup of tea or coffee, can revive a driver and could be the difference between
life and death,” said Noel Gibbons, Road Safety Officer of Mayo County
Council.
© Copyright 2009 by Castlebar - County Mayo -