Weekend road deaths - Safety must come first

IT IS sad to record that, as Ireland yesterday marked ‘World Remembrance Day for Road Traffic Victims’, two more fatalities were added to the growing list of people killed on the roads.

The commemoration was marred as two people died in road crashes in Galway and Leitrim. Their names will be added to the Facebook page opened by the Road Safety Authority to enable those bereaved by road incidents to share memories of lost or injured loved ones.

The devastation caused by road deaths has been horrific. Some 23,407 people have died on Irish roads since 1959, when records began, including 167 so far this year, 20 more than the same period of 2012. Ultimately, those left behind suffer most. These cold statistics should remind us all to drive more safely.