The Road Safety Council of Northern Ireland have been running the quiz for Primary 7 school children for over 20 years. However it was the first time that St.Mary’s, Altinure have went home with the trophy. The school was represented by Liam Crossan, Luke McElhinney, Emma Redmond and Fergal O’Kane.
The rural school, situated around 10 miles south east of Derry/ Londonderry came out on top ahead of two South Armagh schools. Dromintee PS were second followed by St.Patrick’s PS, Crossmaglen in third.
All the finalists had qualified from regional heats organised by local road safety committees. Over 80 teams initially entered across the 6 committee areas.
The table quiz format ensured that the children learnt about road safety issues in a fun way. There was a mixture of serious messages, facts and figures as well as general knowledge questions. Each of the children who took part received a certificate and road safety goody bag.
Pat Martin, Chair of the Road Safety Council of NI, a former primary school teacher, said
“I have been a keen supporter of this event over many years. The Quiz is a great way for children to learn the importance of Road Safety in their lives. Everyone involved is encouraged to take the important lessons back to their homes and schools.
Special Guests on the night were Inspector Rosie Leech from PSNI Roads Policing and Alan Walmsley, Assistant Chief Fire Officer Alan Walmsley.
Inspector Leech said that she was humbled and delighted to see so many young people present who would soon be teenagers and young drivers of the future, learning about road safety and participating in such a worthwhile competition. She also expressed her gratitude to the volunteers of the Road Safety Council and its Committees for the time and effort that they put into organising and running both the regional heats and the Northern Ireland Finals.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Mr Walmsley, commented that the NIFRS were delighted to provide the venue for the evening and support the Road Safety Council in its activities. He said that every day his officers are called upon to visit the scenes of at least two serious road traffic collisions on Northern Ireland’s roads to provide help and rescue for ordinary people injured and trapped in vehicles.
Jonathan McKeown from event sponsors CRASH Services said, “As a local business we are delighted to be able to support the event. We are involved in accident management and breakdown recovery services, so we have a close connection with road users and we are pleased to get involved with road safety projects like this. We look forward to supporting this event for many years in the future”.
For more information, please contact Davy Jackson from the Road Safety Council of Northern Ireland on 07764 302432
Speak to one of the team at CRASH by contacting us today.
