Killaloe TY students experience roll‑over simulator at road safety day

Transition Year pupils from St Anne’s Community College in Killaloe took part in a road safety awareness day on Thursday, using a roll‑over simulator to demonstrate the dangers of not wearing a seat belt.

The simulator, a car body mounted on a rotating hydraulic platform, allowed students to feel the impact of a vehicle flipping onto its roof. Several students, including Alex Coyne and Izzie Stephens, said the experience highlighted the importance of seat‑belt use and safe driving habits.

Emergency services were on site, with representatives from the Killaloe Coast Guard, Clare Fire and Rescue Service, Killaloe Gardai and Clare Civil Defence providing information. The Road Safety Authority (RSA) also operated an information stand, displayed videos and ran the roll‑over simulation for the first time at the school.

Transition Year Coordinator Tris Fitzgerald noted that the RSA’s involvement follows a previous visit to a Transition Year Show in Cork. Two teachers, Gretta Hogan and Yvonne Lynch, have been trained by the RSA to deliver a road safety module to three TY groups before and three groups after Christmas, with the aim of supporting students in completing the driver theory test.

Students who attended the AXA Roadsafe Roadshow at the University of Limerick Concert Hall earlier in the year reported that the practical demonstrations made the risks of distracted driving and unsafe behaviour clearer.

Source: Clare Champion. Photo: Audy of Course / Pexels.