Road safety simulator to be hosted at garda station

As part of its community open day this Saturday (June 18), An Garda Siochana will be hosting the Road Safety Authority simulator.

The interactive unit, known as the Shuttle, is a very popular and educational road safety experience which is suitable for all age groups.

Speaking to the Westmeath Independent this week, Athlone Sergeant Andrew Haran said the increase in road fatalities right across the country so far this year is “a huge area of concern” for An Garda Siochana, which is one of the reasons why it was decided to incorporate the RSA Shuttle unit into the community open day plans.

“We are hoping that as many people as possible will avail of the opportunity to use the Shuttle and to take on board the life-saving road safety messages that can be learned,” he said.

Sergeant Haran added that it is “deeply disappointing” to see that a number of motorists are still not heeding the message not to drink and drive, and added that local Gardai are still making arrests for drink driving offences.

Among the many lessons to be learned by using the Shuttle unit are:

Practice your driving and hazard perception skills on our state-of the art car, motorbike or bicycle simulators.

Experience first-hand the dangers of driving and texting and driver fatigue.

Try the brake reaction timer to see how driving environments and speed affect your braking distances.

Learn about tyre safety as your tyres are your only contact with the road!

Play interactive road safety games.

The community open day at Athlone’s revamped Garda station will take place this Saturday from 11am to 3pm.