Motorists asked to slow down on rural roads this bank holiday weekend
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Greg O'Dwyer, Dublin Fire Brigade; Minister Hildegarde Naughton; Chief Superintendent Michael Hennebry, Roads Policing Unit; and Sam Waide, CEO RSA at the launch of the mid-year road safety statistics at Dublin Fire Brigade HQ. Picture: Stephen Collins/Collins Photos.
65 people have died on Irish roads in 60 collisions since January 1, representing 12% fewer collisions and 12% fewer deaths compared to the same period in 2020.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána published a provisional review of progress in road safety up to 15 July 2021 earlier this week.
It shows that a significant majority of fatalities happened outside of urban areas, with 82% of deaths occurring on rural roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or higher.
The review also found that 406 people were seriously injured in collisions. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists accounted for almost half of all serious injuries (199).
The time between 12 noon and 4pm was the riskiest on Irish roads, accounting for 31% of fatalities to date this year.
There were 59% fewer road user fatalities occurring between midnight and 8am compared to the same period in 2020 while the number of fatalities occurring at the weekend decreased by 25%.
April was the worst month for road fatalities with 19 deaths – road traffic volumes were 170% higher in April 2021 when compared to April 2020.
The highest number of fatalities among all road users occurred in Dublin (11) with five counties - Leitrim, Claire, Offaly, Laois, Carlow - recording no deaths during the period examined There has been an increase in deaths among drivers (38) - a rise of nine; motorcyclists 12, an increase of three, while a reduction in fatalities among passengers (six); pedestrians, seven (-12) and cyclists two has also been recorded this year.
75% of fatalities were male (49) and 25% of fatalities (16) were female.
“While road deaths may be down this year, it should be viewed against an increase in deaths in 2020, Sam Waide, Chief Executive, RSA said.
“Deaths fell in most European countries due to the Covid-19 pandemic last year, but not in Ireland.
“As a result, Ireland has slipped from second safest country in the EU 27 to fifth.
“This research confirms what our colleagues in An Garda Síochána are seeing in reality on the roads, with many drivers taking unnecessary risks.
“More drivers and motorcyclists have been killed on the road in 2021, so I’m asking everyone who gets behind the wheel to slow down and stay focused, especially as traffic volumes increase and return to normal levels in the coming months.
Chief Superintendent Mick Hennebry, Garda National Roads Policing Bureau, An Garda Síochána added: “I want to thank the majority of road users for their generally high levels of compliance with road traffic legislation and speed limits.
“We know however that speed is a factor in one third of fatal collisions in Ireland and unfortunately, we continue to see a minority of motorists drive at speeds in excess of the legal limit on our roads.
“We want everyone to enjoy their bank holiday weekend so are asking people to consider the safety of all road users and support An Garda Síochána in our efforts to keep all people safe, particularly as we focus on speeding and other life-saver offences this holiday weekend.”
