A worrying rise - Road fatalities

It is chilling to reflect that almost 40,000 people have been killed on Irish roads since records began. A total of 38,519 people have died on the roads on both sides of the border —23,752 in the Republic and 14,767 in the North.

The records of road deaths in the North go back as far as 1931, while fatalities in the South were only counted from 1959. The figures were released yesterday to coincide with World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

While we can be gratified that road deaths have fallen dramatically over the past 15 years, they have been rising again since 2013, partly due to economic expansion and the consequent increase in traffic on the roads.

It should never be forgotten that behind every figure and statistic are real tragedies and real victims with real lives lost.

Road safety isn’t simply an issue for government, An Garda Síochána, or the Road Safety Authority. Each road user can make a difference and has a part to play in ensuring that they do not become another grim statistic — or the cause of one.