AXA’s Mayo roadshow instils fear and information in young drivers

Fear, reflection, and deep sadness; those were the emotions that sailed through the TF Royal in Castlebar this week at AXA’s Roadsafe Roadshow. 

The roadshow, which was put together in association with Mayo County Council, is the only one of its kind in Ireland. 

Having not been put on in four years due to Covid, the timing of its return is a suitable one, given the surge in road accidents on Mayo roads this year.

Eight people have been killed on the county’s roads so far this year, just four less than the entirety of 2024.

The aim of the road safety event was to instil in young people how dangerous the roads can be, and that acting safely and responsibly is majorly important. This was being conveyed through this accident re-enactment, as well as guest speakers and imagery.

_{Students listened intensely to the speakers (Pic: Michael McLaughlin)}

From laughter to gasps

The event began with an accident re-enactment, with seventeen-year-old ‘Séan’ taking to the stage, talking about how he had just got his license and wanted to impress his girlfriend ‘Sinéad’ with his ‘new wheels’.

As Séan charismatically discussed how he would impress his girlfriend, the crowd grew rowdy and laughter filled the auditorium, however this was soon replaced with shock and silence as the screen showed the speed at which Séan was driving to be uncontrollable and his car crashing into a tree, ejecting Sinéad from the vehicle.

The screen portrayed every stage of an accident, and at each stage a different first responders took to the stage to address the audience, including paramedics, Gardaí, firefighters, and doctors.

Garda Michael Gorman of Mayo Roads Policing, told the audience whenever he receives a call about a collision, he finds himself with ‘the same feeling of dread, especially when the control says the words like single vehicle collision, serious injuries, ambulance and fire on route’. 

“It brings back memories of all the scenes I have attended before,” he said.

He pleaded with the young audience to ‘remember the responsibility that goes with everything you do on the road’. 

“Responsibility not just towards yourself, but your friends and family, and all other road users. There is no replay button in real life, it's not like social media where you can edit and start over again, when it goes wrong that's it, there's nothing you can do about it. 

“Road safety starts with every single one of you, if you choose to ignore the help we try to give you today, it could be the end of you, do not let that happen,” he said.

Mr Jason Keane, of the Mayo Fire Service, named speed as the leading cause of devastation.

“It's as simple as that, speed kills. You’ve probably heard the saying ‘the bigger the speed, the bigger the impact’, well it's very true,” he told the attendees.

Paramedic, Derek Walsh, told the roadshow that in one way he has become used to facing tragic accidents, but said he will never get ‘used to the waste of young lives’.

Indeed, some of the graphic imagery presented by Dr Lisa Cunningham, a consultant in emergency medicine, was absolutely horrifying and gruesome, but unfortunately it is simply reality.

‘Cars are a lethal weapon’

As the re-enactment ended, the crowd of teens continued to grow quieter and quieter, and more silent they became as the guest speakers took to the stage.

Internet personality Stevo Timothy (Aka Farmer Michael) was the first speaker. 

He told the crowd of the tragic accident in which he drunkenly crashed his motorbike nineteen years ago, leaving him paralysed and taking the life of his friend, John Laffey.

He shared the message that crashes as devastating as his, can happen to anyone.  

“It happened to me and I killed my friend, and I'm in a wheelchair. So, it does happen and can happen,” he told The Mayo News.

The final speaker to take to the stage was Leo Lieghio, whose daughter Marsia, aged 16, was killed in 2005 in a hit-and-run.

When he and his wife arrived on the scene, Marsia was ‘lying on the stretcher, already unconscious’, less than a week later, she passed away.

Appealing to the crowd, Mr Lieghio called cars a ‘lethal weapon’ and said there is absolutely ‘no excuse’ for speeding.

“Speeding to save a minute to two can destroy someone’s life,” he said.

Sharing some of the amazing memories of his daughter, Mr Lieghio reflected on the ‘many things she couldn’t do’. 

He heartbreakingly told the audience how he never got to see his ‘little girl’ in a debs dress, or walk her down the aisle, and how she was robbed of the chance to become a mother, something she always wanted.

Mr Lieghio said he dreams of his daughter giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and saying the three words she said so often, ‘love you dad’.

After the event, he told The Mayo News that while it’s not easy to speak about Marsia’s accident, it’s ‘very important’ to do so.

Mr Lieghio said if he could stop this happening to ‘only one other family’, it would be a job well done.

_{Leo Lieghio speaking at the roadshow (Pic: Michael McLaughlin)}

Frightening or informative?

The event’s organisers continuously reminded the crowd that the presentations were not there to try and scare them off the roads, but to present them with the reality of what happens far too often on Irish roads.

This goal seemed to be fulfilled, with students telling The Mayo News that they found the roadshow extremely educational. 

A student from St Muredach's College all-boys school in Ballina, said he found the show ‘really impactful’, and said it ‘tells everyone a good lesson to be more careful and cautious on the road’.

While the student thought the presentations were more ‘on the scary side of things’, his classmate said following the event he would be ‘more conscious’ and was eager to tell the people around him about what he had seen and learned on the day.

Meanwhile, female students from St Louis Community School, Kitimagh, agreed that peer pressure surrounding driving is ‘different’ for young men than for young women.

One girl said she feels as though girls are just looking to ‘have a good time’, but when it comes to boys, there is peer pressure around speed and ‘how fast you can go’.

“When lads drive around the town you can hear them going really fast and revving the engine, and I feel like girls would be more embarrassed to do that,” she said.

Michael (Mick) Comerford, Retail Director for AXA Insurance Ireland, explained that the initiative for the roadshow came about in order to get ‘early intervention with kids who are starting’ out their driving journey.

“We know from data there are a lot of young males, and young people, involved in accidents, and none more so than in Mayo this year where we’ve seen eight deaths already, and half of them have been under 18,” he said.

He added: “I think getting in early and telling stories; it's one thing to tell them the stats, that really is water off a duck's back really sometimes, but when you hear people's stories and hear how it impacts them, not just victims and families, people who actually have to go out and deal with it, I think it really paints a picture that people really resonate with.”

Mr Comerford said putting this show on for the 1600 students was extremely valuable.

“After an hour and ten minutes you couldn't hear a pin drop,” he said, something quite unusual for a group of teenagers. 

“The more we can do that, the more awareness we can bring, the more we share those stories, the more people will think twice about speeding, getting behind a wheel when intoxicated, not putting on their seatbelt; every life we save is a benefit, and that’s what these shows and events are really about, continuing to put that awareness out,” he concluded.