Community Alerts

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has today 20th February 2017 launched a new digital road safety campaign focusing on the misuse of seatbelts by women. The campaign entitled “Get This Season’s Killer Look”, is aimed at discouraging women from wearing their seatbelts under their arm, which can cause horrific injuries in the event of a collision.

A study of 300 women aged 17 to 34, undertaken in 2016 by Behaviour & Attitudes, on behalf of the RSA found that:

• 28% admitted to misusing a seatbelt by wearing it under the arm, rising to 35% among younger women.
• 53% of those interviewed said that their friends wore the seatbelt under the arm
• The main reasons cited for wearing the seatbelt under the arm were to relieve neck tension (49%) and for general comfort (47%).
• 9% said it was to protect their tan, or 7% to protect clothing.
• While seatbelt compliance is consistently very strong among young females, it is not universal: e.g. 23% do not always wear a seat belt as a rear passenger.

Commenting on the new campaign Ms. Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, RSA, said “How you wear your seat belt is as important as whether you wear your seat belt or not. Worryingly, whether for comfort or vanity, many women choose to wear their seatbelts under the arm, instead of over the shoulder, which exposes them to terrible injuries and even death in the event of a crash. Placing the shoulder strap of the seatbelt under their arm leaves your upper torso — including your neck, face and head — completely unrestrained during a collision.”

“My message to anyone who wears their seatbelt under their arm is simple – wear your seatbelt correctly. The belt should be worn diagonally across the wearer’s chest on their shoulder and never under the arm. If it feels uncomfortable, adjust the height of the belt on the anchor point on the door frame or adjust the seat position and height. Most importantly of all avoid getting “This Season’s Killer Look” because you didn’t wear your seatbelt properly.”

The campaign will feature primarily on online in a bid to reach young women where they spend the majority of their free time. It will be fronted by a 30 second ad that will be deployed on ‘Video On Demand’ (VOD) platforms. The “This Season’s Killer Look” Public Service Advert is centred on a young model, posing for a fashion shoot in a glamorous car. As the shoot progresses, the model puts on her seatbelt and places the belt under her arm. Suddenly, the model is thrown violently forward and the scene switches to an eerie x-ray world where we see clearly the devastating injuries sustained in a collision. When we switch back to reality, we see the model is wearing a neck and body brace and has scaring on her face. Lifelong injuries now replace her glamorous look. The campaign slogan invites viewers not to get – ‘This Season’s Killer Look’ – by never wearing a seatbelt under the arm.

The RSA sought the input of Gerry Lane, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Letterkenny General Hospital, Donegal in developing the campaign.

The campaign will also be promoted on the RSA social media channels including Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram with the campaign’s official hashtag #KillerLook.

Ends

For further information please contact

RSA Communications Office 096-25008

Or

Brian Farrell, Communications Manager, 086 3881009

Ranganna Gaeilge, Earrach 2017 le Comhlucht Forbartha na nDéise.

Beidh na ranganna ag tosnú ar Dé Céadaoin, 8ú Feabhra (Meánscoil San Nioclás, An Rinn) agus ar Déardaoin, 9ú Feabhra (Halla Cholmáin, An Sean Phobal), ag a 7 a chlog (clarú ag 6:30in).

€50 ar 10 seachtine.  Tuilleadh eolais ar 058-46664 nó cfdeise@gmail.com

• Íoslódáil an preasráiteas anseo.

Wednesday 11th January

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) is advising all road users to take extra care when using the roads over the next 72 hours as Met Eireann has issued a yellow weather warning nationwide for sleet, snow and ice. Very cold wintry weather will develop from Wednesday evening and will last until midday on Saturday. There is a risk of 3-5cm snow nationwide with particularly heavy falls expected in Ulster, Connaught, North Leinster and West Munster. The low temperatures will mean roads may be icy.

The RSA is asking road users to check local weather and traffic conditions and be aware of the conditions before setting out on a trip.

The RSA has issued the following advice:

• Clear your windows and mirrors before you set out, carry a screen scraper and de-icer.  Do not use hot water on the windscreen as it can crack the glass.
• Remove ALL snow from your vehicle before commencing your journey. Snow left on the roof will become loose and can drop onto the windscreen during braking, thereby causing sudden and severe restriction to your vision. It can also fall off during your drive and cause injury to pedestrians or a reflex action by another driver.
• In snow and icy conditions slow down, use all controls delicately and leave extra distance between you and the vehicle in front. Too much steering is bad and avoid harsh braking and harsh acceleration. Use the highest gear possible to avoid wheel spin. Select a low gear when travelling downhill especially if through bends.
• Remember that heavy snowfall and rain reduce visibility. Use dipped headlights and decrease speed smoothly.
• Do not drive on the tail-lights of the vehicle in front (Target Fixing). This can give a false sense of security and you will be too close to be able to brake safely. In heavy fog, turn off your radio and let down your driver’s window a fraction, so as you can hear other traffic.
• Watch out for “black ice.” If the road looks polished or glossy it could be, black ice” one of winter’s worst hazards: Black Ice is difficult to see! It is nearly transparent ice that often looks like a harmless puddle or is overlooked entirely. It can occur especially in sheltered / shaded areas on roads, under trees and adjacent to high walls.
• Watch out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists and allow extra space.
• The best thing to do in extremely bad weather is to stay off the road. Take heed of warnings not to go out and travel only if absolutely necessary. This leaves the emergency services free to deal with real emergencies instead of rounding up stranded motorists caught in snow.

Pedestrians and cyclists are advised to:

• While walking on footpaths and in public places, or entering and exiting your vehicle, DO NOT underestimate the danger of ice.
• Many slips and falls happen in places people regard as safe and secure, typically outside their front door, on the door step, on the path or while getting out of the car. It is very possible that a thin sheet of transparent ice or “Black Ice” is covering your pathway putting you at risk.
• When you approach a footpath or roadway that appears to be covered with ice, always use extreme caution.

Please also see our new severe weather warning videos created in collaboration with Teresa Mannion with advice for driving in snow and icy conditions here. Our severe weather advice video for driving on icy roads can be seen here. Our severe weather advice video for driving in snowy conditions can be seen here.

For advice on severe weather driving tips, please see severe weather advice on the RSA website or check out the RSA Facebook and Twitter pages.

For more weather updates, visit Met Eireann’s website www.met.ie

The following Weather Advisory has been issued by Met Éireann at 15:00 hours
Tuesday, 10-Jan-2017

Very cold wintry weather will develop from Wednesday night onwards.  Showers will turn wintry in many places, from Wednesday evening to Saturday, with falls of sleet and snow expected. The heaviest of the snow fall is most likely over Ulster, Connacht, north Leinster and west Munster and especially so on high ground.

Valid until 12:00 hours Sat, 14-Jan-2017

Please note that Waterford City and County Council Dog Pound, Bilberry, Waterford will operate limited opening hours on Thursday, 5th and Friday, 6th January, 2017.

For enquiries, please telephone 0761 10 20 20 or e-mail contact@waterfordcouncil.ie

The Pound will re-open on Saturday, 7th January, 2017 between the hours of 11am and 1pm. Waterford City and County Council regrets any inconvenience caused.

Wicklow Local Enterprise Office have welcomed Waterford LEO as a collaborative partner on the South Eastern Creative Corridor (SECC) initiative.

Wicklow Local Enterprise Office have welcomed Waterford LEO as a collaborative partner on the South Eastern Creative Corridor (SECC) initiative. This opens up the opportunity for 15 Waterford AV sector businesses to join the exciting programme of training, networking and events scheduled across the South East region in 2017.

The programme started last Friday 9th December in the Lyrath Hotel in Kilkenny with an action packed Regional Bootcamp Event facilitated by a team of expert facilitators, designed to kick start the networking and goal setting for the first 54 regional businesses. Registration is still open at www.creativecorridor.ie  and relevant businesses from within the region are urged to take this opportunity to extend their network and grow their businesses through this development and investment programme.

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