THE ROAD SAFETY Authority and the gardaí are appealing to drivers to slow down this coming bank holiday weekend.
National ‘Slow Down’ day is taking place from 7am this Friday to 7am on Saturday.
Figures show that the June Bank Holiday has consistently been the most dangerous weekend over the past two years.
Eleven people have been killed and 16 seriously injured, six people died in 2012 and five in 2013.
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has urged drivers to support national “Slow Down” day:
The only way to avoid a repeat this year is if we all work together. Speed is still one of the biggest risk factors.
“By slowing down we reduce the likelihood of a crash, and the severity of injuries. We are also asking drivers this weekend to watch out for dangerous road conditions because the weather is so changeable”.
Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority Moyagh Murdock added that ”We are also heading into this weekend on the back of a really bad May Bank Holiday when we lost 5 lives on the roads.
Nationally we seem to be heading in the same direction as last year. 71 lives have been lost compared to 73 up to the same date last year and last year was our worst in seven years.
Assistant Commissioner John Twomey from the Garda National Traffic Bureau said, “Help us all make this June Bank Holiday a particularly safe one. Ask your family, friends and colleagues to heed the advice given to slow down”.
He also added that gardaí will be specifically targeting drivers exceeding the speed limit over the weekend.
Applegreen will give tired drivers a free cup of coffee on Friday between 2pm and 8pm at 17 stores.
Drivers just need to mention the RSA at the till on “Slow Down” day.
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