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FIVE PEOPLE UNDER the age of 30 have been killed on Irish roads over the past three days.
The death toll for the Christmas period has reached five after a seven-year-old boy died in a three-car crash in Antrim last night.
The schoolboy has been named as Jackson Turner, a pupil at Sunnylands Primary School in Carrickfergus.
His death comes after four fatal road incidences since Christmas Day.
Late yesterday afternoon, a 20-year-old woman was killed when the car she was driving struck a wall in New Ross, Wexford. She was pronounced dead at the scene after 5pm.
Earlier on St Stephen’s Day, an 18-year-old driver died when his car collided with a truck and another vehicle at Kilcogy in Cavan. The crash happened at 7.30am and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The victim has been named locally as Feargal O’Reilly. He is survived by his parents Mairead and Noel and sister Eimear.
His friends have started posting tributes online to the Ballyhaise Agricultural College student.
Two people also died on Christmas Day on Irish roads.
Gardaí are investigating the circumstances of the death of a 29-year-old man who was hit by a car while out walking on the evening of 25 December.
He was killed when he was struck by a car at 7.20pm just outside Carlow town.
It was the second tragedy of the day. Earlier on Christmas morning, 16-year-old Warren Kenny died in Ballyfermot after being involved in a crash while on a scrambler motorcycle.
Two bikes, which were reportedly Christmas presents, collided before 8am. The teenager was seriously injured and brought to St James’s Hospital where he died a short time later.
The second man involved in the crash was in his 20s and suffered minor injuries.
Warren’s friends have posted messages of condolences to his Facebook account.
“Hard to believe my best school mate is gone rip warren you always put a smile on my face. The class won’t be the same without you love yea and you will be always be on my mind [sic],” wrote one classmate.
While another said, “On me mind all day just wish this was all a dream me and u were having great crack laughing and joking yesterday love u rest in peace [sic].”
Following news of the death, local TD Joe Costello called for gardaí to deal with scrambler bikes at Christmastime. He referenced another crash on Sean McDermott Street which left another man hospitalised with serious injuries.
“Christmas Eve and Christmas morning have become occasions for young people with scrambling bikes to take to the streets in the Inner City,” he said.
They perform stunts and race each other. Many of these bikes are illegal. They are neither taxed nor insured. Their drivers seldom wear helmets. No year goes by without injuries. Most years there are deaths.
“It is time the gardaí realised that this is an annual occurrence, that it poses a threat to life and limb not just of the people involved but also to the community in which these dangerous practices take place. A policing plan must be put in place to put a stop to these dangerous practices once and for all and to ensure that Christmas is a safe and peaceful time.”
So far this year, 161 people have been killed in 150 crashes on roads in the Republic of Ireland.
This is about 30 fewer than the same time last year. More than 70 of the deaths were of drivers of vehicles, while 32 were pedestrians and nine were cyclists.
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The gardai are acutely aware of the scrambler issue in the city centre around Christmas but they don’t engage as if they pursue the lads and they crash the gardai are at fault and investigated. The gardai have their hands tied and best policy is for them to not engage. If gardai started chasing the lads on scramblers their would be more accidents. Maybe joe costello should get onto his constituents about bad parenting, no responsible parent would buy a quad or scrambler for their teenager then let them out on the streets. This is down to irresponsible parents and the finger can’t and shouldn’t be pointed at the gardai.
So very well said, and rather unusually on here, bang on the money, sensible and factual.
Pick a council estate around Dublin, any of them, Jobstown, Ronanstown, Finglas, Coolock… I can guarantee now that there are dozens of lads hammering around on Scramblers and Quads, it’s like an epidemic and i’m surprised there aren’t more deaths of these lunatic young fella’s on bikes, i’ve seen them ripping alongside main roads on the paths at speed..
The Gards won’t chase them because they are not equipped to catch them and have little chance of success in a Hyundai!
But the petrol stations still sell fuel to these lads who either push the bikes over to the pumps or cycle over and fill up petrol cans.. surely this has to stop!?
The Guards shouldn’t have to chase them in the first place because the parents that buy these machines should ensure their kids apply to legislation. The legislation on these machines when been used in a public place is in fact very strict. You have to sit and pass a theory test, you then have to go to mandatory lessons, you then have to tax and insure them and wear a helmet The fact is the parents are allowing their kids to ignore all the legislation and just allowing them to rip around the paths, estates and estate green areas.
Devastating to lose anyone in a death, but at Christmas time it compounds it even more. These poor families probably won’t have a merry Christmas ever again. RIP to them all and condolences to family and friends.
Strangely enough, Joe Costello has had little to say about the reduction in Garda numbers & resources. Costello has previously criticised Gardaí for shooting career criminals who pointed loaded weapons at them.
Comments section should be closed. Apparently you cannot comment on the problem this country has with dangerous driving, particularly among the young male adult population, as it’s “disrespectful” to victims in car crashes.
Never mind our grandparents and young children whose lives are put at risk all the time because of this f’ing nonsense carry on.
Myself and my father were in a near fatal head on collision with a dangerous driver so I am more than qualified to comment on it.
Absolutely disgraceful the amount of people walking our country roads who have been killed this year. And in every comments section nonsense comments about “oh they shouldn’t be walking” and “should be wearing hi-vis jackets”. Sick of it.
People are kidding themselves if they don’t think there is a serious problem; they can blame it on potholes, bad roads and speeding vans all they want.
New rules should be introduced, similar to what Germany have, to safeguard against people getting driving licences and provisional licences which allow them to be on the road before they are mentally qualified to do so.
Well said Hugh. Well said.
I heard on the radio only last week that this year we’ve had the lowest level of road fatalities since records began. Then you read something like this and it feels almost like a pyrrhic victory of sorts.
I hope I’m around to see the day of widespread automated driving that puts an end to this carnage.
Its available, the tech has been tested successfully with no incidents. It’ll take a massive movement for widespread public acceptance of it. That’s the only barrier now.
Actually Tomtraubert it’s not acceptance of it. It’s obeying the rules that stymie it.. They can write code to get the cars to obey speed limits, obey traffic signs, respond to certain hazards.. The code they can’t write os predicting cyclists and pedestrians. Especially in Ireland where we have people who cross the road where they like and not at crossings. And cyclists who won’t obey traffic markings, lights or stay in lanes.
@codology unfortunately people simply refuse to drive responsibly, virtually all collisions are the fault of the driver….. If people would just behave properly in cars technology wouldn’t be needed to keep them in line.. Thankfully when they technology takes over it will be programmed to obey the rules
Around 90% of road crashes are down to human error. This includes cyclists and pedestrians. The rest are unavoidable.
Indo are reporting that the woman involved in the New Ross crash was actually (26) and pregnant with twins.
Slow down folks….
have your say