Fatal crash underlines 'importance of seat-belts and sobriety'

THE importance of wearing seat belts and observing drink driving laws was highlighted yesterday, following an inquest into the deaths of three men in a one-car crash in early January.

None of the three men killed in the crash near Listowel, Co Kerry, was wearing a seat belt, nor was a fourth man who was injured.

The driver of the car, Christy O'Connor, was three times over the legal alcohol limit, the inquest was told.

The accident occurred just after midnight on January 6, when the Toyota Celica in which the four were travelling hit a concrete wall on a straight stretch of road about a mile on the Moyvane side of Listowel.

The car went onto the grass margin on its left side and veered across the road before coming to a halt against a wall.

Christy O'Connor, 25, from Listowel, James Culhane, 30, from Moyvane, and Patrick Galvin, 34, also from Moyvane, all died at the scene.

A fourth man, Nicholas Mulvihill, 34, of Moyvane, was injured but survived.

A spokesperson for the National Safety Council yesterday said that while they did not comment on individual cases, the three main causes of road deaths speed, alcohol and non-wearing of seat belts could sometimes be combined.

He said that seat belt usage had increased from 57% in 1999 to 72% in 2002, but expressed concern that only about 20% of back-seat passengers are wearing seat belts.

"One of the measures we will welcome will be the introduction of penalty points for drivers who don't ensure that back-seat passengers have seat belts on," the spokesman said.

He also said the NSC welcomed new laws that would make it easier for gardaí to stop and breath-test drivers.

Meanwhile, pathologist Dr Margot Bolster reported on the post-mortems on the bodies of the Listowel victims.

She told the inquest that blood and urine samples showed that each had consumed alcohol, with Mr O'Connor's blood/alcohol ratio being three times over the legal limit to drive a car.

Mr O'Connor's girlfriend, Kathy Brosnan, told the inquest she had been drinking earlier in the afternoon with Mr O'Connor and James Culhane.

Mr O'Connor had four or five drinks of cider.

She left with her boyfriend shortly before 8pm, and they stopped for food at a takeaway.

They drove to Mr O'Connor's house, ate the food and then drove to Ms Brosnan's house in Moyvane.

Ms Brosnan stated that Mr O'Connor said he would then join James Culhane and Nicholas Mulvihill in a pub in Moyvane.

She heard the following morning that her boyfriend had been in an accident.

Publican Mary Hanrahan said the four people had all been drinking in her premises until midnight on January 5.