Teenagers shown shocking new road safety ad

A chilling video showing an entire class of primary school children being wiped out by a speeding driver has been shown to young people in Londonderry.

The video, which cannot be shown before the 9pm watershed due to its shocking and emotive content, has been produced as part of a Department of the Environment (DoE) road safety campaign.

It was launched in Londonderry by the Environment Minister Mark H Durkan to an audience of teenagers, many of whom will soon be applying for provisional driving licences.

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Mr Durkan said: “There have been 28 children killed on our roads since 2000. That is the equivalent of an entire class of children. That is what we are trying to convey with this campaign.”

The video was originally set to be premiered on television this evening but has been delayed out of respect to the family of a little boy from North Belfast, Conor O’Neill, who died yesterday after being struck by a car.

The advertisement is now set to be shown on television here on Monday. Amongst those school children in the audience for the launch of the shocking new campaign was 15-year-old Foyle College pupil Cieara Laidler. She said: “It was really sad. You wouldn’t think a whole group of kids would be killed like that. Sometimes things need to be shocking like that to get the message across. It would make me think twice about speeding when I do start driving.”