Roads Policing

Roads_April_23

Under 25 Road Deaths

There has been (51) road deaths so far in 2023, an increase of (5) deaths on this time last year. Of the (51) road deaths, (18) of the deceased are under 25 year old. This represents 35% of all road deaths. When you compare this to last year’s figures, 25 year olds represented 16% with (8) deaths and at the end of last year it was 19%, (29) deaths.

Lifesaver Offences

We refer to the four offences which contribute most to road traffic collisions as ‘Lifesaver Offences’

These four lifesaver offences are namely;

Ø Non wearing of seat belts
Ø Driving under the influence of drink / drugs
Ø Speeding
Ø Holding a mobile phone while driving

Seat Belts

Seat belts are the most basic form of road safety and are proven lifesavers. Seat belts dramatically reduce the risk of death and serious injury in the event of a collision. Yet our provisional statistics from 2021 shows that 27% of drivers and passengers killed in road traffic collisions, were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

Results from a recent survey found that while 96% of drivers say they always wear a seat belt, this figure drops to 83% when people are travelling in the back seat of a car. Forgetting to put on seat belt is the main reason for not wearing it.

If you are over 17 you are legally responsible for wearing your seat belt in a vehicle whether you are a driver or a passenger. Responsibility lies with the driver to ensure that all passengers under the age of 17 wear a seat belt or have a proper child restraint.

Child Restraints

Weight and Height

All children under 150cms in height or 36kgs (79lbs) in weight must use a child restraint system (CRS) suitable for their height and weight while travelling in a car or goods vehicle. An example of a CRS would be a child car seat or booster cushion.
Rear-facing child car seats must not be used in passenger seats protected by an active frontal airbag. An airbag which deploys in front of a rearward facing child car seat can cause serious injury or even death if there is a collision.
There is no law against children sitting in the front seat, as long as they are using the right child restraint for their height and weight.
A properly fitted child restraint system keeps the child in their seat, preventing them from being thrown about inside or being thrown from the vehicle. It also absorbs some of the impact force. This means that your child is much less likely to be killed or injured in a collision.

DUI

Driving while intoxicated continues to be a problem on Irish roads. I would appeal to people to;

Never, ever drink / drug drive
Book a taxi or use public transport
Nominate a ‘designated driver’
Make sure you are alcohol free the next morning

With the introduction of the new drug testing device we expect the number of road side drug tests to greatly increase during 2023. We will also continue to test people for the presence of alcohol on the roadside. Please ensure that you don’t get behind the wheel while intoxicated from drink or drugs.

Speed

Speeding is the biggest contributing factor to road deaths in Ireland, it’s a factor in one third of all fatal collisions.

The higher the speed, the greater the likelihood of a collision happening. We are asking people to slow down and always drive within the speed limits.

Holding Mobile Phone

Mobile phones are the number one distraction to drivers on Irish roads. Despite the fact that using mobile phones while driving is killing people on our roads, people continue to text, make phone calls, take selfies or update their social media pages while driving. Statistics show that making a call makes a driver four times more likely to be involved in a collision and texting makes a driver 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision.

Concerns

Longer evenings

Approaching summer holidays

More activity under 25 year olds

Appeal to everybody to keep lifesaver offences in mind.