18 March 2021
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
With all primary school children returning to school this week Cork County Council’s Road Safety Office issues a timely reminder to help each other stay safe in our daily lives, especially getting to and from school and at the school gate.
File photo: Back to School
Picture: Jim Coughlan
Mayor of the County of Cork Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, commented,
“The school gate can become a hazard if parents congregate at drop off or pick up times. The temptation is naturally to stay and chat, but Cork County Council is asking our school community to drop & go at school gates, to wear a mask, to ensure your child is safe around the road and wear a Hi-Viz jacket to help visibility.”
Building on Cork County Council’s Heads Up Pedestrian Safety Campaign, parents and guardians are being asked to role model safe pedestrian behaviour on the way to, from and outside the school gates.
Tragically 16 people lost their lives in 2020 on County Cork roads with a further 63 serious injuries & 244 minor injuries recorded. The 2020 road statistics show pedestrian fatalities figure highly.
With Primary Schools reopening this week there will be a larger volume of pedestrians on our roads and all road users are reminded to exercise extra caution.
Road safety isn’t the sole responsibility of Dublin. Locally, Cork County Council has a ‘Road Safety Office’
Mayor Foley also commended the work of Cork County Council’s Road Safety Office saying.
‘A huge amount of work is carried out by our road safety office to promote safety awareness. Primary Schools Webinars late last year catered for 4,000 Primary School Children, while Secondary School Road Safety Workshops are ongoing with a focus on safe decision making. A recent joint campaign with Community Gardaí and the RSA resulted in 4,000 Hi-Viz & educational packs distributed to County Cork communities. We all need to remember the road is a shared space, let’s push for a safer space for us all. Take that extra time to think about others when making choices around the road. It could save a life.”
Cork County Council’s interschool’s Road Safety Quiz will be launched over the coming weeks and will run from Easter to Summer term. For further updates and information on Cork County Council’s Road Safety Office “Heads Up” Pedestrian Safety Campaign, visit corkcoco.ie
