Road death figures “shocking and deeply distressing”

Roscommon County Councillor Tom Crosby has said it is “shocking and deeply distressing” to hear that there has been a 20% increase in road deaths last year with 184 people killed on Irish roads in 173 fatal collisions, a 19% increase in deaths compared to 2022.

Last year saw the highest number of pedestrian fatalities since 2011 when 47 were killed.

“Just last week the tragic passing of a young woman in her twenties in a road accident in Donegal brought the number of people dying on our roads to seven this year alone and that does not bode well for the future,” Cllr Crosby said.

He reiterated the road safety communication of the RSA: “The same messages are still being sent out to the public but people are still driving without due care and attention and driving with speed and I, myself, as an undertaker have unfortunately seen first hand the tragic consequences of these actions.

“These figures, released by the Road Safety Authority, offer an insight into the dark side of driving. They make alarming reading, where every deceased name is no more than a statistic but it must be remembered that they are also someone’s mother, father, son or daughter, a treasured family member lost forever," he said.

Cllr Crosby urged caution by motorists: "We must all need to change our driving habits. Slow down and don’t get distracted.”

Of the 184 road deaths recorded, 69 were drivers, 44 pedestrians, 34 passengers, 26 motorcyclists, 8 cyclists and 3 e-scooter users.

Some 78% of fatalities were male, while 22% were female. Over a quarter of fatalities were aged 16-25 years.

Reflecting on the grim figures, Councillor Crosby welcomed the news that there will be a number of new initiatives introduced this year by government in a bid to cut down on road deaths and said it was crucial to put an end to this cancer in it’s infancy before it takes any more lives in this new year.

“The message remains the same – slow down and take care.”