Father reduces students to tears at road safety event as he recalls hit-and-run that killed his daughter

He told some 1,500 transition year students at the AXA Roadsafe Roadshow in Cork that she was struck by a car while walking home with a pal from a 15th birthday party, how his family spent a week praying for her recovery in hospital, then feared the worst as her condition worsened, and how they cried as they said goodbye.

He said if telling his story reaches just one person, or saves just one life, then it will have been worth it.

“I tell them that they are the future, that they can make a change, even just by speaking up and spreading the word by talking to people about what they have seen today,” he said. 

“There is just no excuse in this day and age for anyone to drive while under the influence of drink or drugs, or while using a mobile phone. The consequences can cause so much damage.

“I told them they don’t want to be responsible for taking an innocent life. They have so much to lose by not obeying the rules of road. They are the same age Marsia was when she died. I can relate to them. 

Some of them came up to me afterwards and said they will always remember this event. Marsia gives me the strength to keep going, to try to ensure that these teenagers and their families avoid what our family went through.

The event at the Clayton Silver Springs Hotel included a re-enactment of how reckless driving caused a night-out to end in tragedy, a demonstration of how fire fighters used cutting equipment to free casualties from the mangled wrecks of crashed cars, and moving first-hand accounts from emergency responders of the horrors they have faced at fatal crash sites.

The students were told that young drivers are 85% more likely to be involved in road accidents than older drivers, with speed, distraction, and inexperience the leading causes of road traffic accidents.

And they were told that a third of road fatalities in Cork last year involved drivers aged under 25, according to the latest garda figures. Now in its 16th year, the event delivers what a spokesperson described as “a raw, real-life depiction of the dangers on our roads”.

Mr Lieghio, the vice president of the Irish Roads Victims Association and who has campaigned tirelessly since Marsia’s death for more roads policing, and for tougher sentences for people found guilty of serious road traffic offences, said more people need to see it.

Anyone who loses their driver’s licence should be made to attend the roadshow before getting it back, he suggested.

“More people need to see and hear about the harsh reality of a fatal road traffic incident, to see the consequences,” he said.

“The more I drive the more people I see who just don’t seem to give a damn. They just want to get A to B as fast as they can. It’s better to see the harsh reality through an event like this than to go through it the hard way.” 

The insurance company has also partnered with the Irish School of Motoring to provide the 12 essential driver training lessons at a discounted rate. Mick Comerford, the retail direct director with AXA, said learning to drive is an exciting milestone for young drivers.

“However, with that additional independence comes responsibility to drive safely for yourself and for all road users,” he said.

“Our data shows that young drivers are significantly more likely to be involved in road accidents than older drivers. This event aims to provide young people on the verge of learning to drive with an honest and unfiltered account of how dangerous driving can destroy lives.” 

Sgt Robbie Stone, a member of the Cork City Roads Policing Unit, said statistically, young drivers, particularly young male drivers, are still vastly over-represented when it comes to involvement in serious injury and fatal road traffic collisions.

He said:

If we can convince people to reduce their speed, to wear their seat belt, to remain focused on the task at hand while driving their cars, to not use their phones while driving, to never drink or take drugs and drive, we will see a reduction in the numbers of lives being lost on the roads across Ireland.

“The Roadsafe Roadshow is a brilliant opportunity for the next generation of drivers to see the reality of the tragic consequences associated with serious injury and fatal collisions.” 

The roadshow will visit locations in Mayo, Louth, Kildare, North Dublin, Kerry, Donegal and the Midlands over the coming months.