Road safety appeal to parents

A SENIOR Garda officer yesterday appealed to parents to play an important role in preventing deaths of young people on the roads.

Chief Superindent Pat Sullivan, Tralee, said parents had a responsibility to know where their children were, who they were with and with whom they were travelling.

“No parent wants to see a garda knocking on their door at three or four o’clock in the morning with sad news that their son or daughter had been killed in a road traffic accident. This is something that no parent could ever forget.”

Eight out of the 11 people who died on Kerry roads last year were under 25.

Four teens, including two brothers, died in a crash, about 6km from Killarney on August 25.

The crash occurred at Carrigeen, on the Mallow to Killarney road, after a Hyundai car went out of control and collided with a tree. Three teens died at the scene and a fourth passed away hours later in hospital.

In Kerry last year, the 11 fatalities arose from eight accidents. Eleven people also died on the county’s roads, in 2009, but in 10 accidents. The number of road deaths in the county was down from 19 in 2008.

“This is something we can never be complacent about and road safety will continue to be a top priority,” Chief Supt Sullivan emphasised.

“We are calling on all road users to behave responsibly and will continue with a pro-active policy, in 2011, high visibility patrols and speed checks. We are also urging people to be conscious of the effects of alcohol and other substances which impair driving ability.”