All Road Users Warned To Follow Rules Over Halloween Weekend
All road users are being warned to follow the rules over the Halloween weekend. Road deaths are rising; since last weekend, ten people have been killed in crashes.
In October alone, 19 people have died on roads across Ireland. The Transport Minister has described the situation as "almost at crisis level".
Shane Ross said the message needs to sink in to drivers ahead of the bank holiday weekend "We cannot be complacent. This is a really grim situation, particularly approaching the bank holiday weekend."
"I think it is time to ring the alarm bells, and say that we can't tolerate a situation going up like this any longer", he added.
So far this year, 159 people have died on Ireland's roads. That is 32 more than the same date last year.
Ahead of the October bank holiday weekend, Gardai have urged road-users to "ensure they can be clearly seen when out on the roads."
A safety campaign explains that "the most effective way to do this is to wear high visibility clothing such as a high viz vest or a Sam Browne belt when walking, cycling or motorcycling and by ensuring you have working lights on your bicycle, motorcycle and car."
Over the past five years, six people have been killed and 33 people have been seriously injured during the October Bank Holiday Weekend.
The Road Safety Authority and gardai are reminding road-users to ‘be safe and be seen’, particularly on poorly-lit rural roads.
Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, Road Safety Authority said "Don’t leave it to chance or expect other road-users to see you - it might be too late before they do."
"If your child walks or cycles to school, make sure they can be seen by ensuring they wear reflective clothing and have working lights on their bicycle", she added.
Drivers are also being urged to check that all their lights are working. As Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid explained "other road-users could mistake a vehicle with only one working light for a motorcycle or bicycle".
To help drivers stay alert behind the wheel over the Bank Holiday Weekend, the RSA and Applegreen will provide free cups of coffee to drivers between 2pm and 8pm on Friday 28 October and Monday 31 October at participating service stations.
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