LIVES LEFT
»»Garda plea to think of families suffering behind grim statistics »»Safety campaign hones in on alcohol, drugs and phone use »»Officer says any road user could be next killed or injured
GARDAI have already arrested 19 people on suspicion of intoxicated driving in the first 24 hours of their Easter Bank Holiday road safety campaign.
The figures were announced yesterday as officers pleaded with the public not to drink or drug drive – and to keep their head out of their phones while behind the wheel – warning “lives are being destroyed.”
Already 55 people have been killed on our roads so far this year – that’s 13 more than the same period last year.
Sergeant Gavin Coleman of the DMR Roads Policing Division spoke about the Easter Bank Holiday road safety enforcement campaign. He said: “We are specifically focusing on intoxicated driving, speeding, mobile phone use and distracted driving.
“We’ve also seen in the first 24 hours of this campaign, 19 drivers arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.
“That’s through drink or drugs. So our appeal over this weekend to drivers is to please don’t drink or use drugs while driving, slow down and stay within the speed limit and don’t let anything distract you while you’re driving, such as use of your mobile phones.”
Sgt Coleman also spoke about the lives that have been lost and how families are destroyed by road accidents. He added: “That’s not just 55 people. It’s 55 families.
“It’s a ripple effect.
“Families, friends and people’s lives are being destroyed by this.
“We can mention statistics as much as we want to but sometimes that gets lost.
“People just have to remember that it can happen to anybody.
“If people just take a second to think about those 55 people, those 55 people that won’t be having Easter dinner on Sunday with their families.
“They’re not statistics. They are real people.”
And commenting directly on our story that 30% of drivers aged under 25 are dying on Irish roads, Sgt Coleman said: “In particular we would be appealing to
Peoples lives are being destroyed by accidents SGT GAVIN COLEMAN ROADS POLICING