The RSA is currently running an advertising campaign, about the death of Mary Ward, as part of its Vision Zero initiative. Mary’s death is widely considered to be the first death attributed to a car crash anywhere in the world, but took place before the car as we know it was invented. 

Mary Ward was born in 1827 in County Offaly and was a mother of eight, a pioneering scientist, and a scholar. She achieved widespread recognition in her chosen fields of astronomy and her book ‘A World of Wonders Revealed by the Microscope’, received widespread acclaim. She was the first woman accepted into the Royal Astronomical Society and is recognised as a leading scientist of the time, in a male dominated world. 

Here tragic death at the age of 42 took place in 1869 in Birr, Co. Offaly. However, the facts of the advert have been questioned by some, as it is generally accepted that the motor car was not invented until 1886 by Karl Benz in Germany. 

Accounts of the accident say that Mary was thrown from a car while travelling with her cousins. However, you have to search a little deeper to discover that the vehicle she was travelling in was in fact, an experimental steam powered carriage, which her cousins were developing. Such vehicles became popular in the later years of the 1800’s and were accepted as the way of the future, until superseded by the internal combustion engine. 

The RSA advert is indeed striking, makes an impact and gets people talking. It forms part of the Vision Zero commitment that aims for no road deaths or serious injuries on Irish roads by 2050. The Road Safety Strategy 2021-2030, is the first step in achieving Vision Zero in Ireland. This covers all aspects of road safety, ranging from new and improved infrastructure and an increased role for technology in vehicles and also in the enforcement of road traffic laws to help reduce the dangers faced by road users.

The Vision Zero advert can be seen below.