Wexford Rotary Club, in partnership with Wexford County Council, is rolling out a hard-hitting road safety initiative to over 2,000 transition year students in the region. The ‘Just 1 Life’ programme aims to increase road safety awareness among young people and prevent road traffic deaths.
Over the last 17 years, more than 20,000 students have participated in the road safety programme in Wexford alone, while a further 10,000 students have taken part in the initiative in Kildare.
The ‘shock and awe’ road safety programme, which originated in Australia is also operating in a further eight counties across the country, including Kerry, Laois and Sligo. Rotary Ireland has said that expanding programme on a national basis will save lives.
Up to 460 pupils from Loreto Wexford, Presentation Wexford, Selskar College and St Peter’s College attended the launch on 5 December at Wexford’s National Opera House and also the first session; the campaign is poised to reach over 2,200 students from 24 schools across Wexford upon completion in early 2024.
Calodagh McCumiskey from Wexford Rotary Club said feedback from students, educators, Gardaí and medical emergency teams to the programme has been “overwhelmingly” positive.
“The key to the success of ‘Just 1 Life’ is that it enables us to connect with teenagers at a key stage in their development. Most teenagers who participate are transition year students who will not yet have sat behind the wheel of a car. The programme allows us to show them that while driving can be hugely beneficial it comes with a host of responsibilities.”
Tom Enright, Wexford County Manager, said that Wexford County Council was delighted to be a partner in the initiative with Wexford Rotary Club. “I have no doubt that this initiative has saved many lives that would otherwise have been lost on our roads.”
