Two fatalities have been reported while another person is critically injured, following several incidents in the primary day of the October bank holiday’s vehicular safety campaign. Emergency services and Garda officers were quickly on the scene of a lorry and pedestrian accident at the intersection of Arran Quay and Church Street after 3pm on Friday. The pedestrian, a gentleman in his mid-fifties, was declared dead at the scene. Officers are soliciting information from any potential witnesses to this unfortunate incident.
Another fatality came with a single-car accident where a gentleman in his twenties lost his life on the R294, near Drimina, Tubbercurry in Co Sligo, before dawn Saturday. Once again, officers are appealing for any witnesses to this incident.
A grave accident involving a young woman in her twenties and her e-scooter at Tom Bellew Avenue in Dundalk, Co Louth, also came to Garda’s attention. She was found injured on the road following an incident thought to have occurred around 9:30pm on Friday. She was subsequently taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda.
These troubling incidents have occurred since the initiation of the holiday’s road safety campaign on Friday morning. As of Saturday afternoon, officers have reported nearly 127,176 vehicles checked for over-speeding, with 283 drivers already detected, some of whom were deemed particularly hazardous.
Historical records show that between 2019 to 2023, eight fatalities and 71 serious injuries have occurred on October bank holiday weekends. Additionally, recent Road Safety Association data exposes a worrying rise in fatalities during peak morning travel hours (6:00am and 9:00am) this year.
Compared to the same period in 2023 and 2022, fatalities have alarmingly risen mid-October from 11 and 5 respectively to 19. Reflecting on these numbers, Chief Supt Jane Humphries of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau voiced significant concern and urged drivers to curb their speed on the roads.