- PARC Road Safety Group is a national civil society organisation. It was founded by Susan Gray in 2006 after the death of her husband Steve in a road traffic collision in Inishowen Donegal in 2004.
- The group is made up of people who have been affected by road traffic collisions, having either lost a loved one in a RTC or sustained serious injury and those who have a special interest in road safety.
- PARC gives practical support and information to families of road traffic victims. It also campaigns to save lives and prevent injury by working constructively with all relevant stakeholders.
- PARC have been involved in many key campaigns to update road traffic legislation in a number of critical areas, including mandatory testing of all drivers involved in a serious road collision and bringing Irish drink driving laws into line with best international practice. PARC members have successfully campaigned for the inclusion of the unborn in Road Traffic Collision statistics. A long campaign by PARC for the abolition of fees charged by Gardai to bereaved families for documents relating to the death of their loved one succeeded in 2016. PARC have also been involved in highlighting ineffective enforcement of road traffic laws in the State and have been constructively working with the Departments of Transport and Justice and Equality, Dáil Deputies, the Courts Service and An Garda Síochána to try to ensure that laws enacted are fully enforced.
History of PARC Road Safety Group
Stephen Gray
Steve, my husband was taken from me on St. Stephen's night 2004 in a road traffic collision on a rural road in Inishowen Co. Donegal. He was 51.
While working as a self-employed Hackney driver guarding his passengers alighting from his hackney, Steve was knocked down and killed at 4.30am by a young learner driver. The driver was charged and prosecuted for driving unaccompanied with no L plates and no tax. The fine was €470.
Such was the force of the impact that Steve was lifted out of his shoes and his body was thrown over 45ft into a nearby field. He died at the scene from his horrific injuries. I was left a widow with two young children, age 10 and 12 years and it was Christmas.
Shortly after Steve’s death I discovered that although Steve tested negative for alcohol and drugs during his autopsy the driver who caused his death was tested for nothing. Uninjured and untested he was given a lift home from the scene. In 2004, if a driver was fatally injured in a road traffic collision he or she was automatically tested under the coroner’s law while a surviving driver comes under our road traffic laws which left it to the discretion of attending Gardai whether to test or not.
I had two children to rear and little time to lie in bed feeling sorry for myself having lost my husband, soul mate, and best friend.
The pain was unbelievable and the anger was something else. It had been said that anger when properly channelled can yield amazing creativity and positivity, I would like to think that in PARC we use our anger appropriately. I decided that I would not allow Steve to have died for nothing and changes had to be made to our laws. I hadn’t a clue where to start, being an ordinary housewife, but my determination was unreal.
I founded a national group to advocate for road safety and road traffic victims. I called it PARC road safety group - Promoting Awareness, Responsibility and Care on our roads with a mission to save lives and prevent injuries on Irish roads. A petition of over 40,000 signatures calling for mandatory testing of all drivers involved in serious and fatal collisions was delivered to our Government in 2007 and we have been campaigning since.
The Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey included this provision in the new Road Traffic Act 2010 and it was signed into law by our President on 20th July 2010. On 1st June 2011 our new Minister for Transport Mr. Leo Varadkar enacted this piece of legislation.
This new legislation will now bring justice and fairness into the investigation of road traffic collisions which was denied to many for years. It will restore equal rights to the driver who dies at the scene or shortly afterwards and it will deliver truth in our courts. It will also be a huge deterrent to drink driving and we are delighted to have this piece of legislation activated in June 2011.
Having noticed so many other failings in our current system we work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure best practice in all areas of road safety - see link to PARC's Achievements..
Our two beautiful children are now teenagers with wisdom far beyond their years because of the tragic events of Christmas 2004. Their dad is watching over them, I’m sure, and helping us all to cope, to move on and most of all to be a catalyst for the necessary changes. He would never have wanted us to accept what had happened to him and to lie down under the burden of our loss. Instead he would want us all to learn from it so that others might live.
In 2014, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) found that the Garda Investigation into the fatal collision resulting in my husband's death was 'inadequate and poorly conducted' with no evidence sent to forensics.
If you have suffered loss or injury through a road traffic collision perhaps you might like to become a member of PARC and in this way help to save others from the pain and suffering you have endured.
Susan Gray
PARC Founder
While working as a self-employed Hackney driver guarding his passengers alighting from his hackney, Steve was knocked down and killed at 4.30am by a young learner driver. The driver was charged and prosecuted for driving unaccompanied with no L plates and no tax. The fine was €470.
Such was the force of the impact that Steve was lifted out of his shoes and his body was thrown over 45ft into a nearby field. He died at the scene from his horrific injuries. I was left a widow with two young children, age 10 and 12 years and it was Christmas.
Shortly after Steve’s death I discovered that although Steve tested negative for alcohol and drugs during his autopsy the driver who caused his death was tested for nothing. Uninjured and untested he was given a lift home from the scene. In 2004, if a driver was fatally injured in a road traffic collision he or she was automatically tested under the coroner’s law while a surviving driver comes under our road traffic laws which left it to the discretion of attending Gardai whether to test or not.
I had two children to rear and little time to lie in bed feeling sorry for myself having lost my husband, soul mate, and best friend.
The pain was unbelievable and the anger was something else. It had been said that anger when properly channelled can yield amazing creativity and positivity, I would like to think that in PARC we use our anger appropriately. I decided that I would not allow Steve to have died for nothing and changes had to be made to our laws. I hadn’t a clue where to start, being an ordinary housewife, but my determination was unreal.
I founded a national group to advocate for road safety and road traffic victims. I called it PARC road safety group - Promoting Awareness, Responsibility and Care on our roads with a mission to save lives and prevent injuries on Irish roads. A petition of over 40,000 signatures calling for mandatory testing of all drivers involved in serious and fatal collisions was delivered to our Government in 2007 and we have been campaigning since.
The Minister for Transport Mr. Noel Dempsey included this provision in the new Road Traffic Act 2010 and it was signed into law by our President on 20th July 2010. On 1st June 2011 our new Minister for Transport Mr. Leo Varadkar enacted this piece of legislation.
This new legislation will now bring justice and fairness into the investigation of road traffic collisions which was denied to many for years. It will restore equal rights to the driver who dies at the scene or shortly afterwards and it will deliver truth in our courts. It will also be a huge deterrent to drink driving and we are delighted to have this piece of legislation activated in June 2011.
Having noticed so many other failings in our current system we work with all relevant stakeholders to ensure best practice in all areas of road safety - see link to PARC's Achievements..
Our two beautiful children are now teenagers with wisdom far beyond their years because of the tragic events of Christmas 2004. Their dad is watching over them, I’m sure, and helping us all to cope, to move on and most of all to be a catalyst for the necessary changes. He would never have wanted us to accept what had happened to him and to lie down under the burden of our loss. Instead he would want us all to learn from it so that others might live.
In 2014, the Garda Siochana Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) found that the Garda Investigation into the fatal collision resulting in my husband's death was 'inadequate and poorly conducted' with no evidence sent to forensics.
If you have suffered loss or injury through a road traffic collision perhaps you might like to become a member of PARC and in this way help to save others from the pain and suffering you have endured.
Susan Gray
PARC Founder
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Aidan Leonard
Teresa Leonard, Assistant Secretary, PARC Road Safety Group -
On January 1st 2005 my beautiful son Aidan was robbed of his precious gift of life in the most tragic of circumstances. On that night he attended a disco with a few friends in county Leitrim to celebrate the ringing in of the New Year.
On their way home they were dropped off at a bus stop. One of his friends had arranged for them to be picked up by his parents but that lift never transpired. Instead another person was sent to collect them. Aidan trusted that lift and that is something we will regret for the rest of our lives. Aidan never came home.
The 2 seater van in which he was collected crashed into a tree in a 50km zone in the village. It was so badly damaged that a full PSV could not be conducted on it.
No further forensic examinations were conducted on the vehicle.
No tests were carried out on the driver for alcohol or drugs.
My precious son Aidan and his friend both died at the scene from horrific injuries.
No Garda liaison officer visited our family after the death of my son. On 16th Sept 2005 Garda informed us that the driver would not be prosecuted for any offence on the night of my son’s death and that the inquest was due shortly.
During the inquest the driver admitted to having consumed at least 6 pints of Heineken on the night.
The vehicle he was driving on the night was not insured properly.
He was driving on his 3rd provisional licence unaccompanied and without L plates.
A Garda file was sent to the DPP after 7 months.
The investigation conducted at that time led to no prosecution for any offence.
The pain that fills our hearts and the mental anguish inflicted upon us will never leave us.
It would appear to us that Aidan’s life meant nothing and that the law favours the criminal.
Aidan was a much loved son, brother and friend. He was 17 years old. As a young lad he had many of the attributes that one does not see in many young people and would have made a huge contribution to our society, had he lived. Just 3 weeks before he was killed he had his head shaved for charity and raised over 2 thousand euro for “The Bone Marrow Trust Fund’.
He was very dedicated to his education and was preparing for his leaving certificate with the intentions of pursuing a veterinary career due to his great love of animals.
Blessed with many talents he has numerous trophies, medals and certificates for his traditional music playing, football, basket-ball and fishing where he was a member of our local club. His brothers and sister have sponsored a perpetual cup in his memory. His brother Brendan has also composed a piece of music in his memory called ‘Aidan’s exam tips’.
No words could describe the joy and happiness that Aidan brought us in our life and we are thankful to God for him being part of our family. Having him taken from us is a life-shattering experience and a huge burden to bear. Nothing could prepare us for such a cruel blow. The agony Aidan had to endure will haunt me for the rest of my life.
Aidan’s brothers Padraic, Micheal, Brendan, Kevin, sister Claire and our faith give us a reason to go on.
At Aidan’s inquest our solicitor brought a rider forward requesting change in legislation to allow for compulsory alcohol and drug testing of all drivers involved in road traffic collisions, either at the scene or in hospital. This rider was passed by the jury and coroner.
The following year in 2006, Prime Time contacted us and we agreed to participate in their programme ‘Drink driving’ in search of justice for Aidan. Following that programme, Rita O’Reilly, reporter for Prime Time put me in touch with Susan Gray, founder of PARC Road Safety Group. Marian Harkin TD had written to us previously informing us of a petition which she had signed whilst at a fuel station in Co. Donegal. Shortly afterwards we joined PARC.
PARC Road Safety Group reaches out to heart-broken families when they feel they can’t go on. They strive endlessly to change the attitude of drivers and all road users to help make our roads safer. If one life is saved, our loved ones will not have died in vain.
