Weather change blamed for road carnage

A dramatic change in weather conditions led to the highest weekend death toll on Irish roads so far this year, road safety chiefs warned today.

A total of 10 people – including three motorcyclists – died on the roads from Friday to Sunday.

Drivers were urged to cut their speed to cope with the wet conditions and reduction in light.

Chief Superintendent Denis Fitzpatrick, head of the National Traffic Bureau, offered his sympathies to the families and friends of those killed.

He warned of the dangers created by the recent change in weather conditions and said drivers had to cut their speed as a result.

He said: “We have just had a period of fine weather with very little rain, and we have suddenly changed to wet roads. There are leaves on the road, there is a reduction in light.

“The whole road environment has changed so people have to take countenance of these changes and adapt their driving and behaviour on the road, be they a pedestrian, a motorcyclist, a cyclist or a driver.

“They have to change their behaviour to adapt to these new situations.”

His words were echoed by the Irish AA, which issued a warning about treacherous conditions on the roads.

The National Safety Council said it hoped this did not signal a reversal in trends. Up to Friday 251 people had died on Irish roads in 2003 – 51 fewer than for the same period last year.

Over the weekend eight men and two women died in road accidents.

Yesterday evening a woman in her 20s was killed when her car was involved in a three-vehicle accident in Co Waterford.

Also last night a man in his 20s died in a collision between his car and a van in north Co Cork.

Earlier on during the day a motorcyclist in his late 30s was killed in a crash with a jeep in Co Offaly, while another 31-year-old motorcyclist died after hitting a wall in Co Dublin.

A 36-year-old man died when his car hit a wall in Co Galway. Two occupants of the car were taken to hospital.

On Saturday two men, aged 41 and 25, died in Co Tipperary when their cars were in collision on the Limerick to Tipperary road.

Also that day a 25-year-old woman was killed in a three-car accident in Co Cork.

A 19-year-old man was killed when the car in which he was travelling hit a tree in Co Cork, while another 19-year-old died in hospital as a result of a collision between his motorcycle and a car in Co Sligo the day before.