Road Safety Authority returns to National Ploughing Championship

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is set to return to the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly from September 19th-21st. Europe’s leading outdoor agricultural trade exhibition will feature the RSA’s Road Safety Interactive Shuttle and Roll-Over Simulator, in addition to an information marquee and demonstration area on site to inform and educate attendees on a range of road safety related issues.

This year, the RSA in association with the Irish Farmers Journal and FBD will hand out 50,000 high visibility vests from the Irish Farmers Journal stand. In addition, the RSA will distribute another 10,000 high viz items including high viz vests, armbands, drawstring bags and rucksack covers for the second year in the row. These safety initiatives are part of the RSA’s continued commitment to educating vulnerable road users on how to stay safe on Irish roads.

Speaking ahead of the national event, Ms Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the RSA, said: “I am delighted that the RSA will be returning to the Ploughing Championships again this year. As it is Ireland’s largest agricultural event, the RSA is looking forward to engaging with the public and I would like to encourage people attending the National Ploughing Championships to come along and learn more about road safety in a fun and interactive way. We will be on site throughout the event, so please come and speak to us at our information marquee, attend one of our many demonstrations taking place throughout the day and don’t forget to try out our Road Safety Interactive Shuttle and Roll-Over Simulator. We will also be distributing high visibility vests in association with the Farmer’s Journal and FBD to ensure pedestrians and cyclists are safe on the roads.”

In the RSA information marquee, sections will include:
· An Garda Síochána
· Child Car Seats/Check it Fits
· Driver Education
· Road Safety Education in schools
· Driver Theory Test
· Driver Testing and Licensing
· Vehicle Standards and Enforcement
· Emergency Services Driving Standard
· Irish Road Victims Association
Attendees can also visit the RSA Road Safety Interactive Unit and enjoy an interactive, educational road safety experience. The primary aim of the Road Safety Interactive Shuttle is to provide the public and other target audiences with the chance to interact with various road safety campaigns and to spread the message about the importance of road safety.

Accompanying the Interactive Shuttle is the Roll-Over Simulator. This simulator continues to be a highly effective tool in encouraging people to use safety belts. The simulator is a car body fitted to a rotating hydraulic platform. Participants sit into the simulator and experience a half or a full rotation. The ‘simulation’ demonstrates the lifesaving benefits of wearing a seatbelt correctly in the event of collision. Demonstrations using life size mannequins will also show the impact of not wearing a seatbelt.

On the Interactive Shuttle, you can:
· Practice your driving and hazard perception skills on our car, motorbike, & bicycle simulators.
· Enjoy a fully interactive road safety educational experience
· Experience first-hand the dangers of driving and texting, and driver fatigue in our virtual reality pods
· See how driving environments and speed affect your braking distances on the brake reaction timer.
· Practice the driver theory test
· Test your fancy footwork by dancing to the Safe Cross Code
· Take a road safety quiz in the activity zone
· Learn about tyre safety

RSA staff will also be on hand to offer vehicle maintenance tips and demonstrate how to carry out basic checks such as measuring your vehicle’s tyre tread depth, tyre inflation pressure, engine oil, water and lights.

The RSA will be located at stand number 245, row 10 at the National Ploughing Championship in Offaly from 19th to 21st September.