With road deaths heading in the wrong direction, as 2024 looks set to be the worst on record for over a decade, those living in rural Ireland know all too well the tragedies that have befallen families who have lost loved ones to car accidents.

This week is National Road Safety Week, which has taken on a renewed impetus, following the death of 136 people on Irish roads so far this year.

Counties Mayo, Dublin, Donegal and Cork have the highest incident of fatalities this year, while Laois, Offaly and Galway report the fewest deaths on the roads.

The N17 alone, made famous by The Saw Doctors song and which runs through Galway, Mayo and Sligo, has claimed eight lives over the past nine months.

Frances Mitchell is road safety officer with Mayo County Council. She says that as part of efforts to reduce the number of people losing their lives on the county’s extensive road network, a combination of engineering and public information measures is being rolled out by the local authority.

“Our roads section engineering team is looking at upgrade works needed along the N17, where there have been a number of tragic, fatal collisions this year,” she says.

“Eight local roads that merge on to the N17 will be closed off to facilitate these works, but we are also trying to deliver campaigns that will encourage people to change their behaviours when travelling on our roads.”

A recent campaign aimed at older drivers was hosted by the council at Breaffy House Hotel, where several agencies, including the gardaí, came on board to deliver a road safety workshop for those aged 50 and over.

Road safety seminar

“We had a successful ‘older persons road safety seminar’ where a number of guest speakers from a range of local and state agencies delivered informative talks on the day,” says Frances.

“Members of An Garda Siochana, Road Safety Authority, Local Link, Mayo Sports Partnership and our Mayo Age Friendly Co-Ordinator all spoke on ways people can protect themselves and other road users when out and about.

“So many grandparents are caring for and travelling with young children in their cars, so we had a free car seat safety check on the day and we also encouraged people to wear their high-vis vest when out and about, in both daylight and night-time hours.

“We also advised people to use their Local Link bus service where possible, as an alternative to the car, which also has a lovely social side to it for those living on their own.

“It was interactive and engaging and we received very positive feedback from our audience. It is anticipated that a similar event will be arranged in 2025.”

However, the engineering measures planned to enhance road safety in the county have been criticised as insufficient to address the problem.

Road safety is paramount and there have been a number of fatalities on the N17 this year which proves the need for the M17 to be extended as far as Collooney in Sligo

Councillor Gerry Murray, a member of Claremorris Swinford Municipal District Council, says the high number of fatalities on the N17 proves the need to deliver a long-standing commitment to extend a motorway from Galway to Sligo.

“The perilous state of road safety in my area was the number one issue raised by people when I canvassed during the local elections earlier this year.

"Parents of older teenagers who are starting to drive are terrified at what their children have to navigate when they come on to a road like the N17,” he says.

“The Government will not give a commitment to deliver a motorway first pledged back in 2005/2006 and as a result Mayo County Council is now contemplating, under the recommendation of Transport Infrastructure Ireland, to permanently close up to nine local roads that join the N17 between Claremorris and Ballindine in the south of the county.”

Gerry said the proposed road closures would cause a huge inconvenience to those living in the area, including landowners whose farms straddle the N17.

“The farming community locally is extremely annoyed at this and I have spoken to the IFA, which needs to step up to the plate.

"Road safety is paramount and there have been a number of fatalities on the N17 this year which proves the need for the M17 to be extended from Tuam as far as Collooney in Sligo.

"The motorway between Cork and Limerick has been given the go ahead and that will link up with the motorway from Limerick to Galway, so if they are serious about addressing the carnage on our roads, they will deliver a motorway through Mayo that is fit for purpose and not the substandard infrastructure we’ll be left with if the current N17 is left as it is.”

Meanwhile in Cork, the local authority is targeting younger and future road users with an extensive schools road safety awareness campaign.

Driver behaviour

Caroline Casey is water and road safety development officer with Cork County Council. She explains that the introduction of Virtual Reality (VR) technology has helped the local authority engage and connect with young people as they embark on learning to drive.

“Driver behaviour is out of our control, but we do run a number of initiatives to raise awareness of the fact that road safety is everyone’s responsibility,” she says.

“We ran a VR pilot project in conjunction with Aviva, where we went into the secondary schools and showed students what it was like to be the passenger in a car involved in an accident.

"The feedback we got suggested 89% of participants would improve or change their behaviour when driving from what they had learned on the course.

“In saying that, I have come across people who would insist they’re able to drive a car or a tractor while using a mobile phone without putting themselves in danger and in those cases, I’ve asked them if they would hold a phone in their hand if they were playing a match and about to take a score.

Feedback we got suggested 89% of participants would improve or change their behaviour when driving from what they had learned on the course

“If you make a mistake on the pitch the worst that will happen is you’ll lose the game. Make a mistake behind the wheel and you’re losing control of two tonnes of metal and putting yourself and other road users at risk.

“It is very difficult to measure how much of the message we’re getting across, but by getting people to think about their actions and behaviour is where we start to see positive change.

“We’re running a campaign in conjunction with Cork GAA that is being rolled out in 54 clubs throughout the county, where we have posters reinforcing the five key principles of safe driving: slow down, wear your seatbelt, don’t use a mobile phone, never ever drink and drive, and don’t drive under the influence of drugs.”

Caroline says the council will also reach over 8,000 primary school children over the coming months, through a mixture of webinar and on-site road safety awareness sessions.

“We run a number of webinars for primary schools, where we teach the children about cycle safety, road safety, the Safe Cross Code and with so many rural schools throughout the county we emphasise the message of Be Safe Be Seen,” she says.

“You are four times more visible during the day when wearing a high-vis vest and that increases to 300 times at night, so we issue vests to the children and encourage them and their family members to wear them when they’re out walking.”

Breakdown of road fatalities by Garda Division up to end of September 2024: