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Higher child, cyclist and pedestrian road fatalities this year

Latest figures show an increase in road deaths overall for the first seven months of 2014 compared to last year.

THE LATEST GARDA and Road Safety Authority figures show a rise in road fatalities in the first seven months of this year.

Five more people died on Irish roads between January and July 2014 when compared to figures for the same period of last year.

There were 104 fatal collisions, in which 113 people died.

The figures show an ‘alarming increase’ in the number of child, cyclist and pedestrian casualties, according to a joint Garda and RSA statement on the figures.

Pedestrians account for the highest proportion of vulnerable road user deaths, with 23 killed (an increase of nine deaths on the same period of 2013). In eighteen of the 19 cases where information was available, the pedestrian was familiar with the area in which the collision occured.

The figures show a higher number of deaths among pedestrians aged over 65 and under 15.

In the first seven months of this year, 13 children aged under 16 died, of which seven children were pedestrians and six were car passengers. Across all 12 months of last year, seven children died.

Nine cyclists have died on Irish roads, compared with five across all of last year.

Last year’s spike in motorcycle casualties has continued into this year, with 15 motorcyclists killed in collisions.

The one area with an improved record was driver deaths, which fell from 55 deaths for the January-July period of 2013 to 45 this year.

Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe appealed to road users to “take greater care on the roads and to “understand the consequences of failing to do so.”

“It could mean the loss of your licence, heartbreak and anguish for our loved ones or God forbid the stigma of being responsible for someone’s death or debilitating injury,” he added.

Road Safety Authority CEO Moyagh Murdock said:

It is frightening to think that on the basis of the first half of 2014, more people could die this year compared to last. And of course 2013 saw the first jump in roads deaths since 2005. Out of respect for those who have been killed and maimed, we simply have to do all in our power to put a halt to this unacceptable loss of life.

Chief Superintendent Michael O’ Sullivan, Garda National Traffic Bureau reminded road users that simple things that road users do or don’t do, such as wearing a seatbelt, could “very much determine whether you live or die if a collision occurs”.

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12 Comments
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    Mute Declan Sweeney
    Favourite Declan Sweeney
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 3:04 PM

    The situation in NI is way worse than we have down here, even the figures in hospitels and ICY are simuler eventhough we have 2.61 more in population.

    There have been
    32,286 confirmed cases, – that equivalent in the ROI- 84266
    6,893 in the last seven days. – that equivalent in the ROI would be 17,991

    They are complaining about it, if we had them figures down here we would be all locked in our houses.

    48
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    Mute Jonnie Marre
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 3:05 PM

    @Declan Sweeney: ok yea

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    Mute Bobby
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 3:32 PM

    @Declan Sweeney: Just to comment, I don’t necessarily think ‘cases’ is a good measure of how well a country is performing. For example, we have exponentially increased our testing rates, which has subsequently led to an increased number in cases. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we are currently losing this covid battle, if anything, its a major improvement.

    Better measures of how well a country is responding would be mortality and hospital/ICU numbers

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    Mute Michael
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 3:53 PM

    @Bobby: But yet retail is still open! Unbelievable!

    5
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    Mute Declan Sweeney
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 5:41 PM

    @Bobby:

    Yess and with NI they have 2 figures for deaths,
    DOH says they have had 639 deaths from the viris but that only counts for those who die in hospitels mostly
    \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\the stats office who deals with in hospitels, home, nursing homes and other places put the amount of deats up to Oct. 9th at 902 cases, so when they release the figures again that would be more than likely alot higher.
    Numbers in hospitels and in ICU are both very high taking into consideration that we have 2.61 times the population

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    Mute Michael Keegan
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 3:26 PM

    Sinn Fein complaining about possibly fines in the South, unwilling to tell people to stay in the North during these unprecedented times

    18
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    Mute Declan Sweeney
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 5:44 PM

    @Michael Keegan:

    According to themselves they are 2 different parties, SF in NI and SF in the ROI

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    Mute Anna Carr
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 3:06 PM

    God that’s awful and it only accounts for 6 counties yet they’re higher than the Republic. I don’t understand it, unless they’re popping back and forth from England

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    Mute Dermy
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 3:17 PM

    @Anna Carr: if you think people in NI constantly travelling back and forth to England is the issue then yes, you are correct. You do not understand it.

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    Mute Bran Brans
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 7:01 PM

    @Dermy: You obviously don’t know about the secret tunnel we have? Oh oh. This message will self distruct in 3……2…..

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    Mute Vladimir Macro
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    Oct 23rd 2020, 5:03 PM

    https://youtu.be/Qgn4B2Iq2cg

    This debate should of happened in February.

    The reason it didn’t was because of vested interests.

    2
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