We will have a short presentation relating to the MOG car safety demonstration. At this stage I call on Mr. Michael O'Gorman to speak. I welcome him and Mr. Michael Gleeson. For the benefit of joint committee members, the display unit car is available in the Fisheries Yard, and we may arrange for members to view it afterwards. As I mentioned, we have a time constraint, for which I apologise.
Car Safety Demonstration: Presentation.
Mr. Michael O’Gorman
I thank the committee for having us, and Deputy Lowry for arranging the visit. We tried several times to be recognised by road safety authorities, but unfortunately we were not. We have eventually managed to appear before the committee.
We provide car demonstrations, which occur in schools. The car is prepared for demonstration purposes by removing the panelling, styling and radio from the interior. The working parts of the vehicle can be seen. An instructor can then explain the function of the component parts. We wish to be part of driver training, and we need support to put the project on the road. I will now hand over to Mr. Michael Gleeson.
Mr. Michael Gleeson
I sincerely thank everybody for the opportunity to appear here, for which we are grateful. The joint committee will have seen the document I prepared and the introduction letter, which I will follow up on. The theme behind our demonstrations is to dispel the feeling of invincibility behind the wheel of a car. Before people start, it is important that they know how to stop.
Unfortunately, speed is a serial killer on Irish roads. People speak of "boy racers" and anti-social driving, and we are attempting to strip cars down and show people what they are actually driving. If a car is stripped down and if one shows a person that a brake hose has the same diameter as a biro, he or she may have a different attitude when braking or driving in an awful anti-social manner.
This system is available for schools, and our main target market are transition year students. We also go to Youthreach centres, community training workshops and FÁS centres. We are here today because we want the support of the joint committee. With regard to FÁS, there must be FETAC certification to give demonstrations. Hundreds of people are looking for this demonstration in FÁS through community training workshops, and we are looking for support on this issue. The MOG is a patented invention for driver training, certified for demonstration purposes. FÁS is seeking FETAC certification.
The document I have submitted details what is covered in the demonstration. The factors include seating position, or how to sit properly, and how to make proper adjustments. Adjusting a seat or safety belt is simple but could make a real difference in whether a person walks or is carried from a car accident. We demonstrate the action of the airbag when a car crashes, how it inflates, the purpose of an airbag and where a person should sit in relation to an airbag.
We deal with proper adjustment of the mirrors to ensure that a person can see precisely traffic coming from behind. We discuss dashboard symbols, and what happens when the ignition is turned on. The lights on the dashboard turn on at this stage and then are extinguished. If a light comes on during driving, it usually means there is a problem. The MOG car is fully stripped down. We show people the lights in the dashboard and follow them right through to their relevant area. For example, with an oil light, we will show where engine oil goes and the safety consequences of the light. We discuss possible problems and the consequences of ignoring a light in the dashboard while driving.
We would mention the steering and braking systems. Such systems are laid out on the ground, and we show a selection of new and damaged parts, demonstrating differences and the safety consequences of driving a car with damaged parts. Mr. O'Gorman has been a mechanic for more than 30 years. Despite the advances in modern cars, Mr. O'Gorman often sees parts in cars that are disgraceful. People may drive with cracked wishbone suspension, for example, or damaged steering.
In Limerick there was a recent incident where a wheel came off a truck. Mr. O'Gorman can tell of people coming into his garage stating that they have a problem with their steering. However, when we examine the problem with the steering, we could find that people have put studs on a wheel the wrong way around. The steering wheel shook as they continued to drive. Simple factors are very relevant in driving.
The last thing covered in the demonstration is a crash scenario and what happens when a car hits a solid object. It mentions the precautions that can be taken to increase chances of staying alive. This includes wearing a safety belt and proper adjustment of equipment. While demonstrating at a school in south Tipperary, we heard of a mother driving a car, with daughters in both the passenger and rear seats. Unfortunately, she came into a bend at 40 mph and crashed. The daughter in the back of the car did not have her safety belt on and was propelled through the windscreen. It was over in a split second. People are taking far too many things for granted. The simple factors can make a real difference between life and death.
When Mr. O'Gorman initiated this project six or seven years ago, he gave the demonstrations in schools. I was a sales representative for a garage supplies company, and I got involved because Mr. O'Gorman was a client. I put together this brochure and then I went to schools to sell the idea. Saving lives was our motivation in setting this project in motion; the simple things make all the difference when there is a car crash. The list of schools we have visited stretches from Donegal to Cork. We are a small business and we are here to seek your support. People are killed on their way to work every day of the week and this is an awful cancer in our society.
I received the following letter from Laurel Hill Secondary School in Limerick:
To whom it may concern,
Michael Gleeson and Tim McGill attended our school on three occasions in the past year with the MOG. The demonstration was given to all the transition year students in our school. It was most beneficial to the students and the feedback was very positive.
The students enjoyed the input and learned a lot from it. They found it most practical and relevant to all car users. In fact the reaction was so good that we brought the MOG back and offered it to the staff. Once again the reaction was wonderful. The staff found it a most worthwhile exercise and were surprised at how much they learned. It has made us more aware of road safety, safety around the approach to a vehicle and the basic maintenance of a car.
We would recommend this course to both adults and students alike as it is very much oriented to basic but necessary elements around car use and safety.
We wish this project continued success and it should receive the continued support of any person or organisation interested in road safety and good driver behaviour on our roads.
I am very glad I got involved in this project and we are here today looking for support.
This project looks very good, but what sort of support do you think this committee can give you?
Mr. Gleeson
The National Safety Council recommended this programme highly and thought it was great for driver training. We were in contact with the Minister for Transport and the Minister for Education and Science who applauded it as a great idea, but they cannot support one initiative over another. That is fine, but we understand that graduated licensing is to be introduced and we feel we have a very strong message. When the students go home they will get into a car almost identical to the MOG car that we supply. If driver training is to be introduced as part of a graduated licensing system we do not want the MOG car safety demonstration to be excluded.
I thank Mr. O'Gorman and Mr. Gleeson for attending and I apologise for the short amount of time they received.
Mr. Gleeson
We will be conducting a hands-on demonstration outside and I would appreciate it if everybody could take five minutes to see it. It is the only such demonstration in Ireland.
I would like to thank Deputy Power, from my own constituency in Limerick, for the support he has given this project over the years and for making contact with the National Safety Council.
When we discuss the graduated licence initiative at committee level we should refer back to this. This operation should receive accreditation and certification from the Department of Transport.
The National Safety Council should definitely be approached on this. Have you done that?
Mr. Gleeson
We have written to the National Safety Council and they have lauded our ideas. However, nobody there seems willing to take this on. We have a great message to deliver, but we need support. It could make a major difference in cutting fatalities on our roads.
Mr. O’Gorman
I have contacted three senior representatives of the National Safety Council, Mr. Costello, Mr. Shaw and Mr. Brett. I told Mr. Brett that I would not contact him anymore as I felt that this programme was being ignored.
They may have a problem because about ten different car training programmes are being put forward by various groups and someone eventually must decide whether it will be handed out to the private sector or to the driving schools. This is why Mr. Brett and people like him will be stand-offish until the decision is taken.
I thank everyone who has attended and point out that the vehicle is available for demonstration purposes in the Fisheries Yard from 11.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m. and 2.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m.
The joint committee adjourned at 11.36 a.m. until 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday, 17 May 2006.