Making our roads as safe as they can be

Irish roads are very much safer than they were a decade ago but that does not mean we cannot do much more to make them even safer.

Bank holiday weekends, and this last one of our wet, wet summer is no different, usually sees a spike in the number of road fatalities, so extra care, consideration, and vigilance is needed.

In recent days, new penalty points have been introduced to try to drive home the idea of children wearing seat belts properly.

Transport Minister Leo Varadkar has also asked gardaí to rigorously enforce provisions around testing drivers involved in road accidents for drink.

Campaigns have been launched to encourage tired drivers to take a rest before continuing on their journey.

Each of these measures makes a valuable contribution towards road safety, but none of them will work unless each and every road user realises that they rely on each other to make our roads safe. Each of us must do our bit.