Ms Sarah O'Connor:

I want to mention two things if that is okay. First, we have been having discussions with the Department of Transport, and we will have follow-up discussions with the Department of Education about compulsory road safety education in schools. We provide extensive lifelong education from our Check It Fits service, where we support parents to make sure their car seat is appropriate, right up to our Mobility Matters programme for adults in later life. We have significant programmes available. These are either teacher training, where teachers deliver them, or where we provide them to schools. However, support behind compulsory road safety education would be formative. If we are looking forward to reaching Vision Zero by 2050, which is zero deaths and serious injuries on our roads, we have to make sure that the children of today become the safe road users of tomorrow. The point about continuous road safety education when delivered in that really informed, age appropriate way is that it creates people who are primed to accept road safety messages from An Garda Síochána and the RSA for the rest of their lives. It is an important investment. Second, and I will probably be pestering everyone about this, as director with responsibility for external affairs, is that the committee members are also leaders in their communities. We would like to get out to everyone, be it at ministerial level, to Deputies, Senators and councillors, to help figure out how they can show that leadership. Part of what we have sadly discovered in the past few weeks is that people are now talking about road safety. We have to continue that. We need to have a national conversation about road safety. We each need to identify one behaviour we will take on, tackle and change. Politicians can help us to do that. We thank the committee for today, and it should not be surprised if we are emailing and calling, and calling in as best we can.