IAEM’s Role in Road Safety
Doctors working in Emergency Departments (EDs) frequently witness the devastation caused by motor vehicle collisions, to both individual patients and their families.
Dr Conor Deasy, Consultant in Emergency Medicine in Cork University Hospital and Clinical Lead for Major Trauma Audit at the National Office of Clinical Audit, spoke at the 2016 International RSA Conference on Speeding
Dr Gerry Lane, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Letterkenny General Hospital is the IAEM representative to the Working Group of the National Programme Office for Traffic Medicine. This group collaborates with the Road Safety Authority to reduce the number of deaths on Irish roads each year.
Road Safety Campaign
Since 2008, the Road Safety Authority has run several graphic television advertisements in its on-going road safety campaign. The Crashed Lives series of videos have become very well-known and two of these are presented by Dr Lane. Since May 2009 these television adverts are being broadcast on Northern Ireland TV channels and since 2011 are used in Irish cinema advertising.
View Campaigns: IAEM Public Information Videos
TISPOL International Road Safety Conference
In October 2009 the TISPOL (European Traffic Police Network) Conference in London was attended by 230 delegates and heard presentations from a variety of politicians, researchers, police officers and road safety practitioners from the United States and Europe. Dr Gerry Lane presented on his own unique experience of being involved in the hard-hitting but realistic advertising campaign run in Ireland.
Support and welcome for Reduction in permissible Blood Alcohol level for Drivers
In October 2009 the Association formally endorsed in a Press Release the proposals to reduce the permissible Blood Alcohol level for Irish drivers from the current 80mg/dl blood to 50mg/dl and the parallel significant reductions for learner, novice and professional drivers. The Association urged the Minister for Transport, Mr Noel Dempsey TD to enact the legislation to the Statute Book as soon as possible. The Association was pleased to see the legislation introduced into the Oireachtas, pass all stages and be signed into law. On 2nd July 2010, the Association issued a Press Release welcoming the move and looks forward to its early enactment by Statutory Instrument.
“Spot your Tot” Campaign
The good weather in April 2010 and a number of incidents where small children were knocked down by either cars or tractors prompted the Association to publicise the issue and offer timely advice to drivers in an attempt to save needless deaths and injuries. The “Spot your Tot” campaign launched on 16th April 2010 advises drivers to do a brief but vital visual sweep around the vehice before moving off. The Association’s Spot your Tot Press Release issued in conjunction with a similar Press Release from HSE West. The campaign was taken up by the national broadsheet media on 17th April 2010 with articles in the Irish Independent and the Irish Examiner. On 20th April 2010 the Irish Times Health Supplement carried an article on the campaign, a campaign that has also been taken up by other media.
Fit to Drive Conference
The Fit-to-drive 2011 conference took place in The Hague in the Netherlands on 7th & 8th April. The Fit-to-Drive organisation is a pan-European body that works to prevent road traffic collisions and has been running large conferences around Europe for many years. The Conferences feature talks by experts from around the world in the field of collision reduction and mitigation. Dr Gerry Lane spoke about motor vehicle collisions from an Emergency Department perspective
Road Safety Authority International Road Safety Conference
The Road Safety Authority 2011 Road Safety Conference was held in Dublin Castle on 26th May 2011 and focussed on the Human Impact of Road Collisions. This conference was addressed by then IAEM President, Mr Fergal Hickey, who spoke about the Road Traffic Collisions – The Role of the Emergency Department.
PARC Road Safety Group Resource for victims of Road Traffic Collisions
IAEM is pleased to be able to assist the group Promoting Awareness, Responsibility and Care on our Roads (PARC) by making its very valuable resource Finding your Way – a guide for victims following the death or serious injury of a loved one in a road traffic collision available through our website. As Emergency Departments are inextricably involved in the management of the critically injured and their relatives, the Association is happy to make this resource available for all those who might need it.
View Presentations:A video of the full series of presentations is available on www.rsa.ie.