Road fatalities halve in 2008

The number of people killed on the roads in Longford/Westmeath halved in 2008, with ten people losing their lives on the roads, compared to 20 in 2007. Provisional statistics released by An Garda Síochána this week revealed that ten people lost their lives in nine collisions in the Longford/Westmeath Garda division in 2008, compared to 20 fatalities in 17 collisions the previous year. Nationwide there has been a large decrease in the number of people who died in traffic collisions, although not as drastic as the 50% decrease in the Longford/Westmeath division. Nationally 275 people lost their lives on the country"s roads, compared to 338 in 2007. Gardai said this week that this was a very welcome and positive development, but said there was no room for complacency as provisional statistics also show that there have been 173,251 detections for speeding recorded against errant motorists for 2008. In a statement issued this week the Gardai said: 'Inappropriate speed is the single greatest contributory factor in road deaths and serious injuries. Drivers are urged to slow down and remember that as a general rule a 1km/h decrease in average speed results in a 2% reduction in minor injury collisions, a 3% reduction in serious injury collisions and a 4% reduction in fatal collisions.' An Garda Síochána is currently in the process of deploying a number of Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems in each Garda division, which will assist the Gardai in saving lives and bring about a greater compliance culture. After issuing the figures, An Garda Síochána appealed to all motorists to respect the speed limits and take greater responsibility for their driving behaviour.