Meabh White, who was seriously injured in a road traffic collision eight years ago, warned young drivers about the dangers of speeding during the launch of a new Road Safety Authority Transition Year Programme.
A young woman who was seriously injured in a road traffic collision eight years ago has warned young drivers “You are operating a loaded weapon and speed kills.” Meabh White , 20, was just 12 years old when she and her mum Clodagh suffered serious injuries when they were involved in a collision with a larger vehicle while on the way to a birthday party.
Their car was propelled at speed into a wall. Meabh’s little brother Rian, who was also in the car escaped uninjured. Speaking at the launch of a new Road Safety Authority Transition Year Programme - Road Safety Matters - Meabh told TY students at Marian College in Dublin’s Ballsbridge on Thursday. “When you are on the road, you are operating a loaded weapon and speed kills," said Meabh.READ MORE: Elderly woman dies after car hits parked vehicles in Dublin crash “And even if you are lucky enough to survive, the life you once had is very different to the one you will have after a car accident.” Meabh, from Co Roscommon, is now a second year student studying Pharmacy in the Royal College of Surgeons, said she “very nearly didn’t” make it to college. “On July 9, 2016 I was involved in a very, very serious double impact road traffic collision where I ended up on life support in Temple Street Children’s Hospital,” Meabh said at the Road Safety Matters launch. “I very nearly didn’t make it. I sustained serious injuries, I fractured my skull, had bleeding to the brain, broke my back, neck and pelvis and it’s a miracle I am here today. I was in a wheelchair for a number of weeks afterwards and after many physio appointments and occupational therapy. “I managed to get back to full functioning and look at me today, you wouldn’t know I was in an accident. While all the physical scars have healed, the emotional ones are certainly still there. The trauma of a car accident never, ever leaves anyone and the pain never leaves. “There are a lot of things people don’t see with car accidents. They don’t see the presses at home full of medication, they don’t see the younger children that were in the car that still have flashbacks, that any time their mum leaves the house they are running after them, they need to know where their mum is. “That time we left to go to a party, our mum didn’t come back for a month afterwards and when she did she was in a wheelchair. So I am urging all young people now that going into TY and any young people on the roads and any drivers, when you are on the road, you are operating a loaded weapon and speed kills. “I don’t harbor any anger. I am so grateful to be here today and grateful to the RSA for giving me the platform to tell my story in the hope I can make one person think, be it a young person, or a person of any age before they get behind a wheel, if you are looking for speed or anything like that, Irish roads are not the place. “This is not an alternative universe, there is life and there is death, there is no rewind button. When you are on the road it’s a massive responsibility and everybody has a part to play.” Meanwhile, with 130 lives lost on the roads so far this year and Garda Road Policing Unit down to 620 officers, garda enforcement alone will not reduce death and serious injury. The number of lives lost so far this year is ten more than the same time last year, according to the latest figures from An Garda Siochana. “Education is always one of the contributors to reducing death and serious injury on our roads,” said Paula Hilman, Assistant Commissioner for Roads Policing and Community Engagement at An Garda Siochana. Commissioner Hilman was speaking at the launch of the new Road Safety Matters Transition Year programme launched by Minister for Education Norma Foley at Marian College in Dublin’s Ballsbridge on Thursday. When asked if it is accepted that road deaths have increased as the numbers in the roads policing unit have decreased by over half in the past ten years, Assistant Commissioner Hilman said: “If you look at Roads Policing ten years ago which was equally about traffic management in addition to enforcement and if you look at today and what we are doing today is about education. “Education always is one of the contributors to reducing death and serious injury on our roads,” the Assistant Commissioner said. "There is also greater use of technology today. We see what happens when gardai have access to technology and the work we do with local councils and the Road Safety Authority about engineering. “So it’s a totally collaborative approach. So why we will be playing our part, we will continue to play our part in terms of road policing but equally the Minister has referenced community gardai who also have that responsibility for community gardai in the schools programme. “We need education, we need to look at the partnership work we are doing. We need to continue to work with the Road Safety Authority and the research and the work we are doing with engineering. The roll out of 12 more speed cameras before the end of the year will have an impact on Irish roads as well so we will continue to do all that. “We will continue to do our role in terms of enforcement and road safety but enforcement alone will not reduce death and serious injury on the roads. The vast majority of people who set out at whatever age do not set out to have a road traffic collision and we see that impact first hand. “What we are doing today is very much welcomed and that total partnership collaboration as a society to work together to reduce death and serious injury on our road,” the Assistant Commissioner said. The new Road Safety Matters TY programme is designed to help students become safer road users, developed in partnership with the RSA and supported by An Garda Siochana. Running over a 10-week period, it will be introduced initially in 143 schools nationwide and includes an overview session, learning to drive, components of a car, speed, alcohol, drugs, distractions, safety belts, vulnerable road users and an assessment. Minister Foley said: “The Road Safety Matters programme has been developed as a resource that is engaging and easy to follow and encourages students to apply the theory of road safety to their everyday lives. “Educating young people on the importance of how we use the roads, the rules of the road and the importance of awareness of all road users is something they will carry throughout their lives.” Sam Waide, Chief Executive of the RSA said: “We are committed to equip the next generation of road users with the right knowledge and awareness when it comes to road safety, including at a time when they may be considering getting a driving licence for the first time. Our programme highlights how everyone has an important role to play, no matter what mode of transport they use, and aims to help students, by providing them with the right skills and values to become safe road users.” Sign up to the Irish Mirror's daily newsletter here and get breaking news and top stories direct to your inbox
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