Four die on roads over bank holiday weekend

THERE were four people killed on Irish roads in the republic over the bank holiday weekend, compared with three over the same period last year and five in 2006.

Road Safety Authority spokesman Brian Farrell said most people did not realise that summer, and not winter, was the most dangerous time of the year to be on the road.

There were 26 road fatalities in July, the lowest in 30 years. The average fatality rate in July over the 30 years was 40. “It shows we have come a long way to making our roads safer but we cannot afford to be complacent. We can still do much better and there are still more lives that we can save,” said Mr Farrell.

“There are countries that have safer roads than Ireland and it did not happen by chance. It happened because they put measures in place to change road users’ attitudes on the roads.”

Latest road fatality figures here show that there were 25 fewer deaths this year.

The Government’s road safety target is no more than 250 deaths in any given year. Mr Farrell pointed out that, with 340 lives lost on Irish roads last year, we have a way to go to reach the target.

The latest victim was a 20-year-old man who died early yesterday in a two-car collision in Co Donegal. The accident happened at Magherabeg, Manorcunningham, on the main N13 road between Letterkenny and Derry.

The male driver in the second vehicle was treated at Letterkenny General Hospital. There were no other occupants in the cars.

Meanwhile a 19-year-old woman was killed early on Sunday afternoon when the car she was driving was in collision with another car at Dough, near Kilkee, Co Clare.

Two occupants of the other car, both of whom sustained injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening, were treated at Ennis General Hospital.

In Galway a man in his 60s was killed in a hit-and-run in the early hours of Sunday morning. His body was discovered at Drumgriffin, Corandulla just before 9am.

A woman in her 30s was arrested and detained at Galway Garda Station later on Sunday and released at midnight. A file is now being prepared for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

A male pedestrian in his 40s was killed after being struck by a car in the early hours of Sunday morning at Carraroe, Co Galway. A man in his early 30s was arrested at the scene.