This article is from page 4 of the 2013-01-29 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 4 JPG
CLARE is one of the top five best performing counties in Ireland in terms of reducing roads deaths, with fatalities on our county’s roads down by 80 per cent in the last five years.
A publication by the Road Safety Authority (RSA) shows a 79 per cent reduction in road deaths in Clare during the Government Road Safety Strategy 2007 to 2012, when compared to the period of the previous strategy from 2004 to 2006.
The national average is just 57 per cent, suggesting that Clare has some of the safest driving conditions in the country.
Road deaths in Clare fell from 12 in 2007 to two in 2012.
The report, ‘2007 to 2012 Road Traffic Deaths By User Type And County’, shows that, since 2007, 22 drivers, five motorcyclists and cyclists and seven pedestrians have been killed on roads in the county.
Last year, two people died on roads in Clare.
Noel Brett, Chief Executive of the Road Safety Authority said, “The reduction in road deaths in Clare shows just what can be achieved when communities come together and say enough is enough, we don’t want any more people dying on our roads. All it takes to make a difference is for one person to say, I’m going to change my behaviour on the roads so that I can keep myself and others safe when we’re out on the roads.
“So, on behalf of the RSA, I would like to thank each and every person in Clare for the contribution you have made to keeping roads in your county safe. It is the efforts made by each and every one of you that has helped make Clare one of the top five best performing counties in Ireland in terms of reducing roads deaths.”
He also paid tribute to An Garda Síochána, emergency services personnel and the local authorities for their work in reducing the death toll on Clare’s roads.
“If we all redouble our efforts in 2013, there is no reason why we can’t make Ireland’s roads the safest in the world,” said Mr Brett.
As many as 162 people died on Irish roads in 2012, 24 fewer fatalities than the previous year when 186 people died and 51 fewer than 2010 when 212 people died on the nation’s roads.