Councillor’s chilling comparison on crash stats

ONE COUNCILLOR’S observation on the road traffic collision figures to date this year made for sobering thought at last week’s Joint Policing Committee meeting.

In his report, Chief Superintendent Patrick McMenamin pointed out that fatal collisions had risen from one to three while serious incidents had also risen from 18 to 22.

Cllr Joe Sullivan, himself a former garda, pointed out that while the figures for collisions had improved overall, over many years, it was likely that around 20 people would be killed on Irish roads between that day and Christmas, emphasising his point by drawing a particularly striking comparison.

‘ That’s basically everyone who is in this room at the moment,’ he said.

Declan McPartlin wondered about the breakdown of causes for road traffic accidents, saying that speed was often given as the main cause.

Chief Supt McMenamin said that they reported all accidents and collisions to the Road Safety Authority, and all incidents were thoroughly investigated. He said that speed was often a contributing factor but it was not the only one.