Northern Irish Olympian Ciara Mageean has become the latest high-profile athlete to support the Department for Infrastructure's Share the Road to Zero campaign, which aims to reduce road deaths and serious injuries.

The Portaferry native, who won gold in the 1500m at last summer's European Championships in Rome, is currently recovering from surgery. Despite this, she is lending her voice to the campaign, joining other prominent sports figures such as footballers Conor Bradley and Emily Wilson, rugby players Jacob Stockdale, Nick Timoney, and Michael Lowry, GAA star Rory Grugan, and the Belfast Giants.

Speaking about her involvement, Ciara Mageean said: "I'm proud to add my voice to the Department for Infrastructure's Share the Road to Zero campaign. When I race, speed is essential—but on the road, excessive speed can be deadly. As drivers, we must always adjust our speed to suit the road conditions. Coming from a rural area in County Down, I know firsthand the challenges of country roads—sharp bends, poor visibility, and unexpected obstacles like pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, horse riders, and slow-moving farm vehicles. We must anticipate these at every turn and drive with caution." The campaign highlights the concerning statistics surrounding road safety in Northern Ireland. Sadly, 69 people died on roads in the region in 2024, and hundreds more sustained serious injuries. A disproportionate number of these incidents, two-thirds of fatalities and serious injuries, occurred on rural roads. Tragically, 12 lives have already been lost on Northern Ireland's roads this year.

Minister Liz Kimmins welcomed Ciara Mageean's support, stating: “I am delighted that Ciara has signed up to our Share the Road to Zero Campaign. Ciara is a brilliant role model for our young people, many of whom are new drivers on our roads. Ciara's message is particularly important over the Easter holidays when many of us will be on the roads going on breaks and visiting friends and relatives. The number of deaths on our roads is of great concern and each loss leaves many families, friends and communities devastated."

Minister Kimmins emphasised the importance of changing road user behaviour to achieve the campaign's long-term goal of eliminating death and serious injury on Northern Ireland's roads by 2050.

"One of the best ways to ensure safety on our roads and fulfil our long-term goal... is by changing road user behaviour. We all have a personal responsibility to behave in a way that keeps ourselves and others safe and this campaign reminds us of that. The sad reality is that if we do not change our own attitudes when we are using the roads, our death toll will continue to increase."

Pledging to 'Share the Road to Zero' can be done online via: Share the Road to Zero as an individual or as an organisation.