The developer of a device that allows visually impaired people to detect fast-moving vehicles has been awarded the Gertie Shields Supreme Award in the annual Road Safety Authority awards.
Maura Moore-McCune, a pupil at The King’s Hospital School, Palmerstown in west Dublin, developed the Vision Impaired Person’s Moving Object Detector (Vipmod), that uses smart glasses and mobile technology to detect fast-moving vehicles for vision-impaired pedestrians.
Ms Moore-McCune also represented Ireland at Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair 2025 in Columbus, Ohio, US, and won fourth place in her category, biomedical engineering, for the Vimpod project.
She is also a winner of the Mawhiba Universal Enrichment Program Award. Mawhiba is a non-profit foundation in Saudi Arabia that motivates young people around the world to explore innovative methods in diverse fields of study.
RM Block
The Gertie Shields Supreme Award honours exceptional leadership and commitment in road safety. Gertie Shields dedicated her life to changing attitudes to drink driving and pressing for stronger road safety laws, following the death of her daughter in a traffic incident in 1983.
The citation said Ms Moore-McCune, who is visually impaired, was recognised for her pioneering research addressing “the heightened collision risk faced by vision-impaired people and has the potential to significantly improve their safety and independence on our roads.”
The award was presented on Wednesday morning at the Leading Lights in Road Safety Awards, held in Croke Park.
The University of Limerick Smarter Travel programme received the Best Employer-Led Award for its work encouraging safer, more sustainable travel among staff and students, while Páistí Scoil na bhForbacha was recognised with the Best School Initiative Award for its creative and engaging approach to road safety education for children.
In the media category, the Gay Byrne Media Award went to Alex Rowley of Newstalk for coverage that highlighted the real-life impact of collisions and promoted safer road use.
The Irish School of Excellence received the Vulnerable Road User Award for its targeted work to protect those most at risk on the roads, and Claire McCaul of ATU Students’ Union Donegal was named Youth Road Safety Champion for her work in road safety advocacy.
Special Recognition awards were presented to Declan Keogh, Kerry County Council, for the ‘Safer Roads’ Road Safety Conference; Ciarán Collins, a volunteer member of An Garda Síochána Reserve, who created a road safety video focused on distracted driving, created in collaboration with An Garda Síochána, and Scoil na mBuachaillí Clonakilty, Co Cork, for its significant contributions to improving road safety at local and regional level.
The Approved Driving Instructor Award went to Thomas Tynan from Tipperary, while the Certificate of Professional Competence Award went to Alan McMahon from Monaghan.
Anne Graham, chairwoman of the RSA, said the authority is “committed to working every day to reduce deaths and serious injuries on our roads. But we cannot do it alone. We need every driver, every pedestrian, every cyclist, every community to play their part. Road safety is a shared responsibility – and a shared opportunity to protect lives.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Road Safety Seán Canney said the awards “shine a light on the individuals and organisations who go above and beyond to improve safety on our roads. Their actions – big and small – demonstrate what true commitment to road safety looks like. They show leadership, compassion and determination at a time when it is needed more than ever.”
