This article is from page 17 of the 2006-07-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
THE spiraling rate of road deaths is a national emergency, according to the Bishop of Killaloe, who says young sports stars in Clare should get behind a campaign to encourage people to drive safely.
Dr Willie Walsh, who issued an appeal on road safety to parishioners in the Diocese over the weekend, said speed limits should be cut by 10 miles per hour. He was speaking amid growing concern at the increased level of road deaths. A total of 225 people have been killed on the nation’s roads so far this year.
“If 8 to 10 people were killed in the criminal world over a weekend, we would be declaring a national emergency. I would call it a national emergency. We must consider very serious steps to prevent this. All of us have to change our attitudes,” he said, adding that more highly visible speed checks must be set up in the county.
He said that the two major factors involved in road carnage were speed and alcohol and everybody must take responsibility to curb the crisis.
“Both of those factors are interlinked. If someone has alcohol in the system, he or she is less aware of the dangers of speed. There is some responsibility with publicans, but it is very difficult for publicans as they do not know who is going to drive from the pub,” said Dr Walsh.
“There is an enormous difference between 55mph and 65mph, in terms of safety. We are at such a crisis stage, we should be considering seriously a reduction in the speed limit over a five-year period, until our infrastructure is improved. It would make an enormous difference,” he said.
“People are becoming more wealthy, with the Celtic Tiger, but this has made us more aggressive and arrogant on the road. Travelling around in a tin box at 60 mph is a dangerous operation. If things go wrong, it can be quite a lethal weapon,” he said.
He said the practice of allowing provisional drivers to get behind the wheel without having passed the driving test must be addressed, given the huge number of young people being killed on the roads.
He described as “rubbish” calls for Road Safety Authority supremo Gay Byrne to resign over the issue.
“Blaming Gay Byrne is shirking our own responsibility and blaming someone else. Younger icons, who are identifiable, might be used, and they might have a better chance of influencing younger people – in Clare somebody like Jamesie O’Connor or Anthony Daly,” he said.