St Colman’s College Newry has called for the ‘Respect the Road’ programme, an initiative delivered by local insurance company Autoline Insurance, to become incorporated into every Northern Ireland school timetable.

The local broker behind the young driver insurance App ChilliDrive has kicked off 2020 with a jam-packed schedule for their ‘Respect the Road’ campaign.

St. Colman’s College in Newry was the first on February’s agenda, where over 260 students were introduced to the powerful programme highlighting the devastating consequences of dangerous driving.

The ‘Respect the Road’ initiative has been educating students at colleges across Northern Ireland for over six years and has been delivered to more than 51,000 students.

To fully relay the reality of damage that road accidents can inflict, in both a realistic yet empathetic way, the workshops are facilitated by Tracey Doherty, a former Family Liaison Officer within the PSNI.

For over 30 years, Tracey attended scenes of accidents, carried out body identifications and visited family homes to communicate the tragic news of fatalities to parents.

Mrs Conlon, Head of Year 13 at St Colman’s College said: “This is a fantastic initiative, and one that should be incorporated into every school timetable for students 16 and over.

“We’re incredibly mindful of the new skills and excitement that comes with learners and new drivers. However, these young drivers must be made aware of the amount of responsibility that comes with this new skill and new sense of freedom.

“Tracey Doherty’s mixture of anecdotal evidence, statistical information and hard-hitting facts helped to get their message across clearly and plainly, with pupils left in no doubt as to the importance of displaying vigilance when behind the wheel.”

The ‘Respect the Road’ programme also includes a modified vehicle simulator, in which students will experience the recreation of a harrowing road accident, demonstrating the intense impact of irresponsible driving.

Already in 2020, there have been 10 fatalities on our roads. two of these in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon borough and one within Newry, Mourne and Down.

In 2019 there were 56 fatalities recorded by the PSNI across Northern Ireland,11 of which were young people aged between 16-24.

Suzanne Curtis, ChilliDrive Marketing Manager said, “The success of our programme is becoming evident with the growing number of Respect the Road events each year, and we’re proud to support schools across Northern Ireland.

“At ChilliDrive, we are passionate about ensuring the safety of young people and others on our roads. We valued the opportunity to share both the simulator experience and powerful presentation with students at St Colman’s Grammar school and we look forward to the rest of the February agenda.”

Other schools in the area taking part in the initiative this month include, St Paul’s High School, Bessbrook and St Catherine’s College in Armagh.

Head of Year 13 at St Paul’s, Bessbrook, Catherine Hughes said: Our Year 13 students received a strong message on the issue of safe driving and the importance of showing respect for other road users.

“The main issues highlighted were, that people are taking risks on a daily basis, using their mobile and simply not paying attention due to distractions in or around their vehicle.

“The presentation demanded attention from the outset and the real-life stories made a huge impact on all those who were present. The car simulator allowed the students to experience a real-life car which re-enacted a crash experience through in-car video, sound, smoke and motion effects. This was a crucial part of the event.”

The Respect the Road team were on hand to answer questions that participants had during the series of events. They explained how ChilliDrive, Autoline’s young driver insurance product, is a reduced premium car insurance policy that uses telematics technology to measure and score drivers’ journeys and contribute to improving their driving standards.

Since the app’s launch in 2015, Autoline have seen an encouraging year on year increase in users, particularly those aged 17-20 and in full or part-time education.

For further information about how your school can participate in the ‘Respect the Road’ programme, please contact Michelle Rice at Autoline Insurance on 028 3025 9011.