Children asked to drive the Road Safety Message home

As dark, wet, cold mornings and evenings close in on us, Road safety becomes more of an issue, for drivers, for pedestrians, for cyclists, for horse riders and all those who share the road.

In Westmeath, we challenge our youngsters to put Road Safety on the agenda by inviting them to create a road safety poster. For inspiration we ask them to think about driver distraction, belting up, making walking safe, being part of the solution and thinking before you cross the road, overtake a cyclist, answer the phone when driving. In Westmeath County Council, we know that our young people can bring the message about road safety to the fore at home and at school. Working with Westmeath Library Service, we challenge the youngsters to create a poster which will communicate a clear Road Safety message.

The competition is open to 3 age categories: 4-7 years, 8-10 years and 11-13 years, Paula O' Dornan, a County Librarian, commented "We have partnered in the Road Safety Competition for the last number of years, every year we are amazed by the thought that goes into the posters from children of all ages. I am really looking forward to seeing what all the budding young artists in Westmeath produce this year."

A special prize will be awarded to the winner of each category, sponsored by the Westmeath Independent, the Westmeath Examiner and The Celtic Media Group.
Colm Smith, Road Safety Officer for Westmeath County Council said "Everyone has a part to play in road safety. We know that the children in Westmeath can be trusted to be part of the solution, both through their actions and activities and through their bringing road safety issues to everyone’s attention. ".
The competition closes on 5th December, They can be dropped into any Westmeath Library.