Page 40 - Linkline Autumn 2016

Do You Know a ‘Leading Light’ in Road Safety?
The Road Safety Authority announces its call for nominations for ‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) today announced the call for nominations in their annual ‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’ Awards. Now in its ninth year, the awards recognise and honour the contribution made by people nationwide to reducing deaths and serious injuries on our roads. The RSA is calling on communities all over Ireland to once again nominate their ‘Leading Lights’ in road safety – whether it be a group or an individual who campaigns, educates and they are committed to improving road safety in their community.
Nominations are now open for the Road Safety Authority Leading Lights awards to recognise the work of committed volunteers, busi- nesses and organisations. Details of how to enter your nomination in the ‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’ Awards are available on www. rsa.ie/leadinglights. You may enter your nomination online, by e-mail or by post.
Announcing the call for entries, Ms. Liz O’Donnell, Chairperson of the Road Safety Authority commented:
“In every community across Ireland there are ordinary people doing extraordinary work, quietly but tirelessly working to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads. These awards recognise the extraordinary and often ‘un-sung’ contributions made by these volunteers, teachers, students, businesses, journalists and community groups in making the roads safer for everyone. So if you know someone that has made an extraor- dinary effort to promote road safety, or if you are one of those people, enter this year’s ‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’ Awards so that we can honour the great work that you do.”
Last year’s ‘Supreme Award’ winner, Irish Times journalist Peter Murtagh said:
“Winning a ‘Leading Light in Road Safety’ Award was a great endorsement of what was a very personal project for me. The series ‘Anatomy of a Car Crash’ was published in the Irish Times in December 2014 and looked at just how many people are affected by road collisions both directly and indirectly. As a journalist we report the facts all the time, that’s our job, but sometimes we need to put a human face on the facts and that’s what I set out to do with this series. When I was writing the series, I spoke to a number of people impacted by a particular collision. It really brought home to me how road collisions affect so many people’s lives and how small actions can have a huge impact on road safety.”
Awards will be presented to individuals, businesses, educational institutes, media, community groups, and public services who have demonstrated a commitment to keeping the roads safe. Entries will be accepted in each of the following categories:
• Education Award
• Pre-primary
• Primary School Education
• Secondary School Education
• Special School Education
• Third Level / Further Education
• Community Education
• Business Category
• Public Sector
• Emergency Services
• Local Media Award
• National Media Award
• Road Safety Officer of the Year
• Approved Driving Instructor (ADI) of the Year (Car, Motor cycle, Bus and Truck)
• CPC Trainer of the Year
• CPC Training Organisation of the Year • The Supreme Award 2015
The Supreme Award will be presented to an individual or group that has demonstrated the most innovative and creative initiative to promote safer road use. The winner of the Supreme Award will be announced at the awards ceremony in Farmleigh, Phoenix Park on Wednesday 14 December 2016.
The judging panel for the ‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’ Awards will be announced shortly. The entries to this year’s awards are currently being accepted and the closing date for entries is Tuesday the 1st of November at 5pm.
Nominating yourself or someone you know couldn’t be simpler. Further information on the criteria for submitting an entry, the categories for this year’s awards and how to submit an entry for this year’s ‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’ are available at www.rsa.ie/ leadinglights.
The Supreme Award was renamed the ‘Gertie Shields’ Supreme Award’ in honour of the road safety campaigner’s lifelong fight for stricter laws against drink-driving. Gertie, who passed away last year, holds a picture of her daughter Paula. Paula died tragically in a car collision at 19.
40 The CharTered InsTITuTe of LogIsTICs & TransporT
ROAD SAFETY AWARDS