THE number of people killed on Cork’s roads has risen by almost 60% this year, worrying new figures have shown.
The figures were revealed as a mother who lost her son to a drunk driver in Castlemartyr in 2009 urged people to think twice before considering getting behind the wheel after drinking.
Christina who is campaigning for safer roads after losing her son Brendan in a car crash some years ago. Picture: Denis Scannell
Garda figures reveal 19 people have been killed on the roads of the city and county this year — up from 12 in the same period last year.
Superintendent Pat Lehane of the regional traffic corps for Cork, Kerry and Limerick, said eight drivers, two cyclists, one motorcyclist, three pedestrians and five vehicle passengers have died on Cork’s roads so far this year.
He urged motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to take care, especially with dark evenings and poor weather conditions, and urged people not to drink and drive after 794 arrests for the offence in Cork in the first ten months of 2016.
Mum Christina Donnelly last week laid a wreath at the plaque on the roadside near Castlemartyr where her 24-year-old son Brendan died. She urged people to think of the consequences of driving under the influence.
“People always think, it won’t happen to them but the figures for this year are painful. I would say to anyone thinking of drink driving, can you live with the consequences?”
Garda figures have shown there were 1,010 detections of people flouting seat belt laws, 13,290 motorists caught speeding, and more than 3,500 drivers nabbed using handheld mobile phones in Cork in the first 10 months of 2016. Meanwhile, a new Road Traffic Bill will give gardaí the power to test drivers for drugs at the roadside and give Cork city and county councils the option to impose a 20km/h speed limit in built-up areas.
Under the Road Traffic Bill 2016, drivers may be asked to undergo a preliminary test for drug intake of substances such as heroin, morphine and a range of benzodiazepines immediately after being stopped. Inspector Finbarr O’Sullivan of the Cork City Traffic Corp, Anglesea Street, has welcomed the Bill.
”It will have a big impact on the capabilities of the gardaí to detect drug driving offences and it is certainly to be welcomed as something that will reduce drug driving statistics on the road positively.”
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