AIT students had a dramatic wake-up call during last week’s Road Safety Week, when they got the opportunity to experience what a car accident feels like.
The RSA’s Roll Over simulator alerted students to the importance of wearing a seatbelt, by strapping them inside a car as it spins 360 degrees in the air.
Participants also had the opportunity to test their road safety skills on board their specialised shuttle bus, and to demonstrate their motorcycle and car driving abilities alongside their knowledge of the Rules of the Road.
The road safety awareness event was hosted by AIT Students Union, as part of the RSA’s seventh annual Irish Road Safety Week.
Vice president of AIT Students Union Andrew Slevin, tested the Roll Over simulator and found the experience very beneficial. “The simulator opens your eyes to the importance of wearing your safety belt and the consequences of not wearing it if you were involved in an accident,” he said.
The RSA has expressed concern about the high numbers of vulnerable road users killed in 2014, particularly following the deaths of 13 children under the age of 14 in road traffic accidents, compared to seven children killed on the roads in the whole of 2013.
Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the Road Safety Authority, said: “Let’s all take this opportunity to review our behaviour on the roads and consider what we can do to make our roads safer.”
