Two die in car crash near Newry

A man and a woman were killed and five other people were injured in a traffic accident near Newry, Co Down, yesterday.

The dead were the male driver and a female front-seat passenger of one of two cars which collided at Forkhill Road roundabout on the Dublin Road shortly before 1 a.m. Three back-seat passengers in one of the cars were injured.

A woman and her daughter travelling in the second car were taken to hospital where their injuries were described as not life-threatening.

In Derry, Ms Maureen Ward (44), from Circular Road, Derry, died following a crash on Thursday evening.

The National Safety Council (NSC) has appealed to drivers not to speed over the bank holiday weekend. The appeal follows publication of a survey which revealed that seven out of 10 drivers felt it was acceptable to drive at 10 m.p.h. above the speed limit.

The survey also revealed that 40 per cent of drivers believed it was acceptable to break the speed limit on local and regional roads - roads which account for 60 per cent of fatal accidents in the Republic.

According to Mr Eddie Shaw, chairman of NSC, many people considered "real speeding" to be driving in excess of the limit by more than 10 m.p.h. "This is a killer attitude as there is no such thing as safe or acceptable speeding."

The council says those intending to travel by road over the coming bank holiday weekend should:

Always drive at an appropriate speed for the conditions and circumstances;

Never drink and drive and never drive while tired;

Wear a seat belt and ensure all passengers front and rear are wearing theirs too;

Plan their journey in advance and set off as early as possible to avoid heavy traffic and

Take frequent breaks to avoid tiredness/driver fatigue.

When on holiday, drivers have a tendency to relax their guard and should be especially alert if driving on unfamiliar roads.

"At any speed a car is a lethal weapon. As drivers we don't really understand speed and we seriously underestimate the consequences of driving fast," Mr Shaw said. "This weekend people who consider themselves safe drivers need to drive more carefully and slowly."

Supt Declan O'Brien, from the Garda National Traffic Bureau, said the Garda would be focusing on the main "killer offences of speeding, drunk-driving and the non-wearing of seatbelts. We will be performing checkpoints at collision prone locations in an effort to reduce the continuous carnage on our roads."