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Leon Farrell via Photocall Ireland

Thirteen children have died on our roads so far this year, 7 were killed in the whole of 2013

Deaths on Irish roads have remained high this year, after increasing for the first time since 2005 last year.

SO FAR THIS year 140 people have been killed on Irish roads.

The Road Safety Authority has expressed concern about the high numbers of vulnerable road users being killed.

Thirteen children under the age of 14 have died in road traffic accidents so far this year, compared to seven children who were killed on the roads in the whole of 2013.

Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the Road Safety Authority said: “This year, for the second year in a row, we are seeing a marked increase in deaths on our roads when compared with previous years, where great strides were made to reduce deaths.

Vulnerable road users are most at risk this year – the old and the young, cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists.

“We really need to redouble our efforts to try and reduce what was the worst year on our roads in seven years last year.”

Irish Road Safety Week is on from October 6 to 12, the RSA is urging people to get involved in this national drive to save lives.

Read: Car salesman convicted for selling previously-crashed, dangerous vehicles>

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12 Comments
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    Mute paul burch
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    Oct 1st 2014, 6:50 PM

    More stiffer penalties needed regarding cyclists wearing headphones and people using phones in cars. THAT msg will wait

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    Mute paul burch
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    Oct 1st 2014, 6:42 PM

    I just saw a man with headphones on, crossing a road. One side of the road had a green filter, the other a red. He was none the wiser when a car had to jam on while he walked across.

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Oct 1st 2014, 6:28 PM

    Those who cause death through dangerous driving should serve a minimum of 5 years imprisonment.

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    Mute Dee M
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    Oct 1st 2014, 6:39 PM

    “Children killed on roads” shouldn’t be a sentence you hear so often. It’s a really high number of children to have lost their lives in road related accidents.

    If it’s a case of speeding, drink driving etc they should be imposed with a lifetime ban and imprisonment from 5yrs upwards.

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    Mute Dublinjonny_No.2
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    Oct 1st 2014, 6:26 PM

    So those figures include the poor little ones killed in accidents in their gardens ??

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    Mute Eugene Walsh
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    Oct 1st 2014, 6:39 PM

    That’s a pretty shocking figure.
    Safety of kids when taking them out on the roads by car or otherwise should be organised and pre planned.

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    Mute James Ó Cianáin
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    Oct 1st 2014, 9:23 PM

    I see people with mobile phones up to their ear while swerving around the road all the time.

    Then of course I see Gardai with mobile phones up to their ears while driving. I also see people speeding in and out of car parks almost everyday in this country.

    We wonder why people are not safe drivers, the country is not making enough effort to deter these accidents.

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    Mute John Rabbett
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    Oct 1st 2014, 10:00 PM

    From what I see, drivers consideration of other road users has deteriorated drastically in the last 15 years. We forget driving is a privilege not a right. We need cameras at traffic lights, cameras in all commercial vehicles and a more visible traffic corp.

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    Mute Tomas Lyne
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    Oct 2nd 2014, 2:36 AM

    A few years ago a toddler ran out from between two parked cars in front of my van. I stepped on the brakes and it was that close I couldn’t see the small boy until he wondered out to the other side of the road.Id say there was millimeters in it,For a moment I thought I had killed that child and it was a horrible couple of seconds, a feeling that I remember well and would not want to experience again.
    It can all change in a heartbeat.

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    Mute Linda Hughes
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    Oct 1st 2014, 11:14 PM

    I feel a lot of these sad sad deaths are on country roads, yes I do agree there are a lot of people still using mobile phones and a lot of people wearing earfones while running walking ect but as I said a lot of this is happening on country roads

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    Mute Lesley Barclay
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    Oct 2nd 2014, 6:42 AM

    I’m assuming that doesn’t include the children run over on their drive way? So really the number of vehicular deaths is higher. There has been at least two of those this year. Road safety is so important but being aware of what’s going on in your front garden is too.

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