Louth motorists urged to ease of the accelerator this Bank Holiday weekend
A total of 70 people have been killed as of 25th April 2024, compared to 53 deaths over the same period last year.
Louth County Council Fire and Rescue Service and Road Safety Officer have appealed for road users to take extra care and slow down when using the roads this May Bank Holiday Weekend.
A total of 70 people have been killed as of 25th April 2024, compared to 53 deaths over the same period last year. If this trend continues, another 150 people could possibly lose their lives before the end of 2024. Provisional collision figures for 2023 also show a 21% increase in the number of road deaths compared to the same period in 2022.
Speeding remains the biggest contributory factor to road deaths in Ireland with males continuing to account for most fatalities and speeding offences. The National Drugs National Drug Related Deaths Index (NDRDI) report covering the period 2013-2017 found that males accounted for 74% of drivers detected for speeding and that 9 out of 10 driver fatalities, where speed was identified as a factor, were male.
Declan Heeney, Station Officer Louth Fire & Rescue Service Amber Watch spoke about the effect attending road traffic has on members of the emergency services.
“We regularly witness at first hand people who have lost their lives and others left with life changing injuries and devastated families who may attend the scene of an accident.
"Members of the emergency services can be traumatised after dealing with such incidents, many of which could easily have been avoided.
"Speeding not only poses a serious risk to motorists, but to all the road users, especially vulnerable pedestrians, and cyclists. The higher the speed, the greater the likelihood is of a collision happening and the more severe the outcome of that collision”.
Adrian O’Sullivan, Road Safety Officer with Louth County Council explained the stark consequences speeding can have.
“If a motorist hits a pedestrian or cyclist at 50 km/h, they have a 50% chance of living. If they are hit at 60 km/h, the chance of survival drops to just 10%. As a general rule a 1% reduction in average speed will bring about a 4% reduction in fatal collisions. This is why reducing motorists’ speed is essential to improving road safety.
“I am appealing to all road users to examine how they behave on the road and to take greater responsibility and practice good road safety habits. Slow down, drive at a speed appropriate to the conditions and remember a speed limit is not a target," added the Road Safety Officer.
Penalty Point Statistics released by the Road Safety Authority have shown that as at the end of February 2024, a total of 9,371 notices for ‘Speeding’ were issued in Co Louth over the previous three-year period.
An Garda Síochána will continue to focus on the four ‘Lifesaver’ offences of speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, non-seatbelt wearing and using a mobile phone while driving, over the Bank Holiday Weekend.
Three road users have lost their lives in Co Louth to date in 2024, a pedestrian, a driver, and a passenger.