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AXA Insurance is trying to get the road safety message out to young people by setting up an information road show that tries to present the hard truths of the subject in an engaging way.
Aimed at transition year students, the road show uses a backdrop of contemporary music, video clips and television advertisements; along with a story as told by Garda David Barron, paramedic Tony Kelly and fire officer Trevor Hunt.
To really hammer home the message, though, AXA organised for a group of transition year students in South Dublin to hear a talk by local father Leo Lieghio who lost his daughter Marsia, twelve years ago in a hit and run in Clondalkin. Marsia was sixteen years old at the time and was knocked down at a set of pedestrian lights. Leo told the students about the raw grief he and his family have had to suffer since that terrible day.
Antoinette McDonald, Director, Partner and Customer Experience Director at AXA Insurance commented: "As one of the largest insurance companies in Ireland, we deal with hundreds of claims every week as a result of traffic collisions. The effects are well documented - too many people are being killed on our roads or are being injured for life. These are real life stories of people who deal with the needless carnage caused by speed, drink and drugs on Irish roads and the show brings home the pain caused by unnecessary road crashes and the impact on people and how it has changed their lives forever. The way they are presented will help young novice drivers and other young road users understand why, for everyone's sake, it is better to be alive and late, rather than dead on time."
According to AXA: "In 2018, 149 people lost their lives on our roads and 1,000 were left seriously injured. Almost two thirds of fatalities have been drivers or passengers, and one fifth of these were not wearing seat belts at time of the accidents. In South Dublin alone one person lost their life in 2018. This year, 18 people have lost their lives on our roads, which is an increase of two fatalities compared to this time last year. Every road death is one too many."