BY MICHAEL BRESLIN AND AILEEN MURPHY
The mother of Nathan Gault(15), who along with his Devenish College friend, Debbie Whyte (14), died when struck by a car on Thursday evening near Florencecourt, has backed calls for pupils in rural areas who have to walk to and from their school-bus to be equipped with reflective stripes so they can be seen.
Joanne Gault, who lived with her son at Lisblake, Florencecourt was reacting to an initiative announced yesterday (Tuesday) by the Western Education and Library Board towards greater safety measures for school-going children.
A spokeswoman for the Board said that, as a result of the accident, the Board had made contact with the Police, initially in Fermanagh, and the Department of Environment, Road Safety Education Branch, with the view to looking at new and innovative initiatives to keep all of its pupils safe while travelling to and from school either on foot or by school transport.
"If walking, it is essential that pupils wear reflective clothing in order to alert motorists to their presence on the roads."
A minute's silence was observed in memory of Nathan Gault and Debbie by Fermanagh District Councillors at Monday night's monthly meeting. The driver of the vehicle involved in the accident was also in their thoughts.
This was followed by a call for schoolchildren to be fitted out with reflective gear. Arlene Foster suggested that the Council should raise the matter with the Minister for Education, calling for reflective bands, particularly for rural children. She believed the Education Minister would be responsive to this suggestion.
However, Joanne Gault doubted if reflective armbands were the answer.
She told the 'Herald': "Even if it was compulsory, I would rather see something of high visibility as part of the blazer itself. You know yourself what children will do if you give them an armband. They will lose it or forget to bring it with them. I think it would be better on the uniform itself.
"I have thought about this since Nathan's death. If you take the Devenish College uniform: from the blazer down, it's all black, the trousers and the shoes, and the blazer itself is navy blue."
Meanwhile, the Western Board spokeswoman said it was intended that a series of meetings with the various agencies referred to earlier would commence as a matter of urgency, and that whatever initiatives were approved are extended to all parts of the Board's area.
"At this time of year, both drivers and pupils need to be particularly vigilant when travelling to and from or indeed in the vicinity of schools. The limited visibility during dark mornings and evenings, coupled with the excitement surrounding the Christmas season, can result in serious and sometimes fatal accidents at this time of year."
She went on: "In order to promote maximum pupil safety this year, the Board would encourage Principals and parents to raise this very important issue with our young people, and to emphasise the particular need for pupils to exercise the utmost care when boarding and disembarking from buses.
"It is also essential to stress that extreme care should be taken if walking any part of the journey to and from school. If walking, it is essential that pupils wear reflective clothing in order to alert motorists to their presence on the roads."
She said experience had shown that the one area which carries the highest incidence for serious injury is when pupils are disembarking from buses.
"It is important, therefore, that they take up a position close to the side of the road, at the doors, and allow the bus to move safely away from the stop before attempting any manoeuvres. Only then should pupils cross the road when it is free of traffic and they have a clear view to their left and right."
Meanwhile, the Police have appealed to anyone who witnessed last week's incident to contact them on 0845 600 8000.
