Liz O’Donnell ‘very concerned’ at steep increase in road deaths

Road Safety Authority (RSA) chairwoman Liz O’Donnell has said she is “very concerned” at the steep increase in road deaths so far this year compared with 2015.

Last year, 166 people were killed on Irish roads, and this figure is already close to being surpassed this year, with 165 road deaths recorded up to November 17th – 32 more than this time last year.

The rising number of fatalities will come as a disappointment to authorities who wanted to continue a trend of improvement from 2014, when close to 200 people died in road crashes across the country.

“I’m very aware of the rising statistics and the fact that we’re 32 fatalities up on this time last year, that’s not a trend we want to continue,” Ms O’Donnell said at a remembrance event for victims of road traffic collisions on Thursday.

Traffic corps

She was critical of the declining strength of the Garda traffic corps over recent years, and repeated her calls for extra resources to be made available to address the issue.

“I think people can become lax about their adherence to road-safety laws and speeding laws, but we’re doing our best and the gardaí are doing their best to help us,” she said.

“The Garda traffic corps has unfortunately been reduced down to 668 from a high of 1,500, that’s a worry for us and we have asked the Garda Commissioner to look at the allocation of resources to give priority to roads policing,” added the former Progressive Democrats TD.

She also took the opportunity to express her frustration at repeated calls from high-profile public representatives such as Kerry TD Michael Healy-Rae to relax drink-driving laws in rural areas.

“I do get annoyed when people try to normalise ‘the couple of pints’ kind of agenda. That’s completely unacceptable, and I think it has become socially unacceptable for people to advocate that, but we need the support of our elected representatives in that regard as well,” she said.