2011 News

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08 June 2011

Speed Biggest Killer on Donegal Roads

A new report published today, Wednesday 8th June 2011, by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána, entitled ‘Donegal – Your Road to Safety’ shows that a total of 307 road users were killed in road collisions in the county of Donegal over the period 1996-2009. Donegal also accounted for 6% of all road deaths in Ireland despite making up only 3.5% of the Irish population (1996-2006 censuses).

The report was published to mark the launch of a new initiative which will see the RSA and An Garda Síochána visit counties around Ireland in an effort to assist local agencies strengthen road safety in the community. Donegal is the first county to be visited as part of the new ‘Your Road to Safety’ campaign.

At the launch of ‘Donegal – Your Road To Safety’ in Letterkenny IT, the RSA, An Garda Síochána, the local ‘Donegal Road Safety Working Group’ and Rally Driver Toni Kelly, who is from Donegal, set out the road safety challenges and priorities facing the county.

Specifically, the new report published at the launch highlighted the fact that between 1996-2009, Donegal accounted for 6% (307) of all road deaths in Ireland despite the county making up only 3.5% of the Irish population (1996-2006 censuses). In addition, 1,184 were seriously injured over the period 1996-2009. In 2010, provisional data from the Garda indicates that, 19 persons died on the roads of Donegal.

Other key findings from the report are:

Excessive or inappropriate speed is the biggest killer on Donegal roads. Two out of five (125, 40.7%) of all road deaths in Donegal were speed related;
78.4% of all road deaths in Donegal where excessive speed was cited as a contributory factor occurred on Friday, Saturday and Sunday;
27.7% of Donegal road fatalities were male aged 17-24. However, where excessive speed was a contributory factor, this figure rose to 40%;
27.4% of car drivers and passengers killed in Donegal were not using seatbelts.

Mr. Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the RSA said: “Donegal has paid a heavy price on its roads with countless members of the community killed or maimed over the years. But it doesn’t have to be this way. By working together we can protect our local communities from further tragedy. The key to making roads safer in Donegal rests with the people and communities in the county. Road safety is everyone’s responsibility. To achieve real change we must start by making a personal decision to be a safer road user. Then, as a community, we must take a stand against unsafe behavior on Donegal roads. We all need to take responsibility - and take pride – in how we behave on the road as pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists, drivers and passengers. We all have the power to make a positive change on the roads in Donegal.”

Assistant Commissioner John Twomey, An Garda Síochána said, “Speed as a factor in collisions accounts for two out of five road deaths in Donegal. In an effort to prevent further loss of life, An Garda Síochána have targeted the places where people have died in such speed related crashes. To build community ‘buy in’ we have published the whereabouts of these locations. However we would much prefer it if everyone voluntarily made the decision to slow down and save a life. It could be your own life; it could be someone in your family, your next-door neighbour, a work colleague. If we all work together and slow down, we can and will reduce the number of deaths on roads in Donegal. That’s something worth working together to achieve.”

The Chairperson for the Donegal Road Safety Working Group, Stephen Lambert, welcomed the initiative saying, “Donegal has been in the news far too often for the wrong reasons when it comes to road safety and crashes notwithstanding the immense work been done by all the statutory agencies and individuals within the county who are trying to make our roads and drivers safer.”

Also speaking at the launch was Toni Kelly, professional rally driver and RSA Road Safety Ambassador, who is a native of Donegal. Toni had a special message for those attending the upcoming Topaz Donegal International Rally from 17th to 19th June: "As a spectator, watching a rally take place right in front if your eyes is an exhilarating and exciting experience but many often forget that it is a sport that incurs a lot of background safety checks and strict regulations for those involved. It is not something that just anyone with a car can attempt to replicate. What I would say to any rallying enthusiasts is to look to a professional school or track to fulfil that ambition and not risk the lives and the safety of others by taking to public roads with what can be potentially fatal consequences. Simply put, keep the race in its place."

The report ‘Donegal – Your Road to Safety’(PDF) can be downloaded here

Ends

For further information please contact: RSA Communications Office: 096 25008

Note to Editors:

Donegal Road Safety Working Group (DRSWG) is coordinated by Donegal County Council’s full-time Road Safety Officer, Eamonn Brown. It is chaired by Stephen Lambert, National Roads Authority, and is made up of staff and elected representatives from Donegal County Council, representatives from the HSE (Ambulance Service and Health Promotion), RSA (Road Safety Authority), An Garda Síochána, Donegal Fire Service, Donegal VEC, the North West Alcohol Forum Ltd, Donegal Driving Instructors and Donegal Youth Service.

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