Award for Ireland’s ‘leading light’ in road safety

Noel Gibbons, Mayo County Council’s road safety officer, has won the Road Safety Authority’s (RSA) Road Safety Officer of the Year award.

Noel (left in pic) was honoured at the RSA’s ‘Leading Lights in Road Safety’ awards at Dublin Castle, for his use of creative and informative campaigns to promote road safety, and for his ongoing support to the RSA and An Garda Siochana.

Noel was appointed Mayo’s road safety officer in 2005, and his first step was to re-establish the Mayo Road Safety Working Group. He enlisted the help of An Garda Siochana, HSE, RSA and technical experts from Mayo County Council to help promote road safety.

Therese Ruane, Castlebar Sinn Fein councillor, said: “Noel has worked tirelessly to make our roads safer for everyone who uses them.

“He works in a creative and innovative way, thinking up new and novel schemes and initiatives to get the road safety message out into the public arena.

“What’s most impressive is the way that Noel works in conjunction with community groups, schools, RSA, Gardaí, youth organisations, HSE, sports partnership, county council colleagues and all the relevant stakeholders, bringing people together to work in partnership.

“I’ve no doubt Mayo is a safer place for road users as a result of Noel’s commitment to his job. He truly is a leading light in road safety and is so deserving of this award.”