Two more road fatalities means a death every other day

ANOTHER two deaths were reported yesterday as a result of car accidents, meaning someone has died on the roads almost every other day since New Year.

A man in his 30s was killed when he crashed on the M1 northbound at Junction 4, Donabate, at around 7.30am.

Gardaí said the car veered off the motorway and struck a barrier. The driver, the car’s sole occupant was pronounced dead at the scene and his body was removed to the mortuary at Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown.

Meanwhile, gardaí in Cork are appealing for witnesses following a collision in Glanmire on Sunday. News of the death was released by gardaí yesterday. Officers said that shortly after 7.45pm, they responded to reports of a single-car collision at Sarsfield Court, Glanmire.

One of the two occupants in the car, a woman in her 50s, was taken by ambulance to hospital for treatment of serious injuries. She was pronounced dead at Cork University Hospital on Tuesday.

The second occupant, a woman in her 40s, also received treatment for non-life-threatening injuries.

The two accidents mean there have now been 23 deaths on Irish roads since the start of the year, nearly which equates to one every other day.

At the same point last year, there had been 27 deaths.

News of the latest tragedies come as the Road Safety Authority is to set about a major increase in safety campaigns.

A Government review is expected to sanction a big increase in cash for the RSA in next year’s budget.

The authority has already been authorised to spend an extra €5.6million which had been lying in reserves to ramp up campaigns and to review the driving test.

Minister for Road Safety Jack Chambers said more will be done against the backdrop of an increase of almost 20% in road deaths last year to 184.

This has led to a growing concern as to the efficiency of the current RSA campaigns, with Labour’s transport spokesman Duncan Smith warning the authority needs a ‘transfusion of purpose’.

Social Democrats transport spokeswoman Catherine Murphy also warned that the State agency needs to find a way to ‘communicate with the TikTok generation’.

Mr Chambers said there was a ‘very worrying trend in fatalities’.

Gardaí have appealed to any witnesses to either of the latest crashes to come forward.