The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is calling on Leaving Certificate students to celebrate safely and responsibly as they prepare to receive their exam results this Friday 2 September.

While many will celebrate locally some will be planning on travelling to music festivals such as the ‘Electric Picnic’ this weekend.

Mr Sam Waide, CEO of the Road Safety Authority said:

I’d like to extend my congratulations to all the students receiving their Leaving Cert results. You have worked so hard to get to this point and we want to encourage you to celebrate your achievements but please to do so responsibly.

Mr. Waide added, Avoid taking unnecessary risks which might jeopardise the next chapter of your life-journey. If you are planning to head out to celebrate, be smart, plan ahead to make sure you get home safely. Use public transport where possible and if you are getting a lift from a friend, make sure they haven’t consumed alcohol or drugs, and please wear your seatbelt. We also encourage parents to play their part by helping the young adult in your household plan how they get home safely.

The RSA has shared some top tips to help students celebrate safely:

• Use public transport if it’s available and make sure you know the time of the last bus, DART or Luas so you’re not stranded at the end of the night.
• If you or one of your friends is planning to drive, make sure the person driving stays alcohol and drug free.
• Remember, if you have a Learner Permit, you must be accompanied by a driver who has held a full licence for more than two years.
• If travelling by car remember to wear seatbelts front and rear, and drivers nobody ever died asking a mate to wear a seatbelt.

To date in 2022, a total of 107 people have died on Irish roads, 15 more than the same period in 2021.

Ireland’s Road Safety Strategy

Ireland’s fifth government Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030 aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by 50% over the next 10 years. This means reducing deaths on Ireland’s roads annually from 144 to 72 or lower and reducing serious injuries from 1,259 to 630 or lower by 2030. 

The strategy is the first step in achieving the 2020 Programme for Government commitment of bringing Ireland to ‘Vision Zero’. This is to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries on Irish roads by the year 2050.

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