Clerics in Co. Mayo will this weekend bless the county’s roads in a novel ceremony aimed at creating road safety awareness in a bid to reducing the number of people who die in traffic accidents each year.
A special ‘Blessing of the Roads Ceremony’ will take place in most parishes and Services throughout the County on Easter Sunday as religious leaders back the campaign to make the roads safer.
The ceremony, which will place at churches on Easter Sunday, it is been promoted by the Road Safety office of Mayo County Council and supported by the emergency services, some priests will perform the blessing from the road side while others will do it from the alter.
“The Blessing of the Roads Ceremony takes places in parts of Australia each year to raise local awareness of road safety, and we are bringing it to Mayo this year again to make the roads of County Mayo safer to use ,” said Mr Gibbons, who added that 4 people were killed on Mayo’s roads last year. The total so far this year is one.
He added: “The community makes improved road safety a goal in an effort to ensure that the grief associated with loss of life, or serious injury, does not come to them.
“This is not the first year we have done the Blessing of the Roads Ceremony in Co. Mayo and we have get a very enthusiastic response. There are still too many drivers under the impression that an accident won’t happen to them.This is Mayo county council working with other organisations to make the County a safer and more attractive County in travel and live in.
Tuam archdiocese spokesperson diocesan secretary” Fr Francis Mitchell said “The trauma of road crashes to families and communities is devastating. A major focus of the campaign is to promote the issue of driver fatigue, drink-driving and speeding, as well as praying for the safety of not only all road users, but our Gardai and emergency services.”