Parsley appeals to young people to stay safe on our roads

11.25.00pm GMT Sun 10th Dec 2006

Young Alliance Chair, Ian James Parsley

Young Alliance Chair Ian James Parsley has appealed to young people to recognize the dangers on our roads over the Christmas period, after a week in which a young woman and a young man lost their lives on NI's highways.

Speaking after a well attended meeting of the Queen's Alliance Society, the North Down Councillor stated: "We have seen two more tragic and needless losses of bright young lives on our roads in the past week. The suffering of the families has been well publicised and heart-breaking. Young people must do all they can to avoid their family being next.

"As the weather becomes bitterer and the days still darker, our roads are extremely dangerous places on which to spend time. Over the Christmas period, on average people are killed on our roads every other day. My message to young people is please: drive, ride and walk safely - because it could be you.

"Every one of us has a responsibility to do all we can to ensure the horrendous grief we have seen this week is not repeated over the festive season. Young lives are too precious to be lost in this way."

Cllr Parsley will be speaking at the Christmas Dinner of the Holywood Road Safety Committee on Wednesday 13th, of which he is a long-standing member. He continues to lobby Government to change R-plate restrictions, re-allocate resources to young driver education, and prioritise rural single carriageways for speed enforcement.

ENDS