Male drivers told to change their driving behaviour
MOTHERS, sisters and girlfriends are being called on to bring it home to the nation's young male drivers to drastically alter their driving behaviour or suffer the ultimate consequence of death.
Over a three day period from Saturday to Monday night, eight men aged from 18 to 31 lost their lives in Tipperary, Limerick, Kerry, Leitrim and Cavan, with the most recent being in Carlow.
However, the death toll on the nation's road so far has reached 91, down 12 on this time last year.
Brian Farrell of the National Roads Authority (NRA) said there is a "real male problem out there when it comes to driver behaviour". Seven out of 10 people killed or seriously injured on roads are young men.
"There is a hardcore of male drivers aged 17-14 who just like taking risks. Perhaps it's their age, behaviour, fearlessness, peer pressure and some adrenaline rush. They think they can live forever and they are invincible," said Mr Farrell.
"I would appeal to mothers, sisters and girlfriends to try and knock a bit of sense into the men in their lives when it comes to driving."
The latest fatality was a 20-year-old man who was a front seat passenger in a car when it left the road on the Carlow/Wexford border on Monday night.
Dermot Murray, a single man from Bunclody, Co Wexford, had been out with two friends at the cinema in Carlow and was returning home when the accident occurred.
The car left the road at an area near Boggin Hill close to the village of Ballon, Co Carlow, at around 11.30pm.
Gardai believe the car left the main Carlow to Wexford road at a bad bend and went into a field at the opposite side of the road.
The driver and backseat passenger who were not injured managed to alert emergency services who were on the scene within minutes. The two men are aged 21 and 22.
Mr Murray, who served four years apprenticeship as a plasterer, was described last night as quiet and a hard worker, often volunteering to stay late to finish a job. He had one older sister Lynne.
On Saturday evening, a 26-year-old man was killed when his car crashed into another car at Lismalin, Mullinahone, Co Tipperary.
On the same day, Polish national Pawel Urbanowicz (31) was fatally injured when the tractor he was driving overturned and collided with a wall on Saturday afternoon at Ballynoe, Castletown, Kilmallock, Co Limerick.
On Sunday three young motorists - Fred Ryan (31) of St Stephen's Park, Castleisland, John 'Pa' O'Reilly (27), also of Castleisland, and 18-year-old Jason Tolan of Kilmorna, Co Kerry - who had to be cut from their cars, died in a head-on collision outside Castleisland on the main Killarney-Limerick road.
A further two men, both motorcyclists, also died on Sunday.
- Sarah Murphy
