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RollingNews.ie

Ireland's drunk drivers will leave siblings to die and move bodies to avoid arrest

The Road Safety Authority is urging people not to get behind the wheel after drinking this weekend.

THE ROAD SAFETY Authority has issued a strong and raw appeal to drivers ahead of the June bank holiday weekend to not get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol.

Launching detailed research on road deaths where alcohol was a contributing factor, RSA research manager Maggie Martin said it was “really scary and really sinister” to see the lengths people will go to avoid detection.

“Some people leave the scene. That means, and I have read it here, that they will leave a sibling, a best friend or innocent people to die in their attempt to get away and flee, so that they don’t have to face consequences and be pointed at and said you’re the person who killed this person. They thought nothing of this,” she explained.

“Another group of these people thought it was okay to literally reposition bodies in cars, place different items of clothing in different cars, to try to insinuate that another person was driving.

In some cases, what the guards find is everybody has been pulled out of the vehicle. Now, you’re not supposed to pull somebody or move somebody when they’re injured in a crash. Sometimes, these people, they pull all of each other out just so that the guards can’t see who was actually driving.

She said the research had, in some cases, showed “the lows, the depths to which we humans will go”.

Young, male drivers

The RSA report, which covers the four year period between 2008 and 2012, found the majority of these fatal crashes are either single-vehicle collisions or involve pedestrians.

  • Most of the drunk drivers, some 89%, involved in fatal crashes were male.
  • Almost half of the drivers who had consumed alcohol before getting behind the wheel and killing someone, were aged between 16 and 24.
  • Many of these young drivers were at least five times over the legal limit, and some were only on the roads for a few months.
  • Overall, three quarters of the drivers who had consumed alcohol were aged between 16 and 34.
  • Most drivers were on the road for social purposes, but a small number were driving to work.
  • More than 100 drunk drivers involved in fatal collisions during the four-year period were not wearing a seatbelt and 86% of these people were killed.
  • Another 25 were flung from the car on impact, and seven were partially ejected.
  • In the majority of cases, the driver lost control of the car or crossed to the wrong side of the road.

‘Horrendous behaviour’

Martin described the “worst group” of drunk drivers as those who are “in there for sport”.

“They’re driving around our roads, doing the most horrendous road behaviour.”

This group often travel with multiple friends in the car with them, she said, “hanging out windows jeering at people”.

These people have so little regard for their own lives, they’re not going to worry about what’ll happen with the meet you or me on the roads.

As part of her research, she also spoke of examples of “good-hearted” people who stopped to offer comfort to those involved in crashes.

“Innocent people jumping out and holding the hands and heads of people as they are literally breathing their last breath, telling them everything is going to be okay.

“They know it is never going to be okay for these people again, because if they survive, they may survive with very serious life-threatening injuries, or realise that they have to live life knowing that they’ve killed their friends in the car because of their behaviour.”

Over the four-year research period, there were 286 fatalities in alcohol-related crashes.

These are not just numbers, Martin stressed, they are people, and drivers this weekend should remember that.

“People have died in a very traumatic and horrible way as a result of alcohol and people have been left at home to pick up the pieces.”

Read: Alcohol was a factor in 330 fatal road collisions in four years>

Read: ‘I took a husband and dad of four away from his family because of my drink driving’>

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    Mute Jeanniejampots
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    Sep 12th 2018, 2:50 PM

    But only the darker skin people died so in his book it is a success.

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    Mute Chris Hammond
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:01 PM

    @Jeanniejampots: Not only, the fact any darker skin people died is a resounding success for him

    49
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    Mute bmul
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:12 PM

    @Chris Hammond: they dont have electrical college votes so get didn’t care

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    Mute Colette Kearns
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:01 PM

    More casualties than 9/11 & 90 billion in damages, yea sure that’s o.k. So, does he even know what he’s talking about? You would have to wonder!

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:09 PM

    Trump Trump Trump, the Journal has a serious hard on for Trump

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    Mute West Cork Lad
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    Sep 12th 2018, 4:22 PM

    @Karen Ryan: you’ve a serious hard on for Ben Shapiro.

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 4:32 PM

    @West Cork Lad: how come ?

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    Mute Seamus Mc Meel
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    Sep 12th 2018, 5:11 PM

    @Karen Ryan: Are you ok? Can you not find another news outlet?

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    Mute Jake Kelly
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    Sep 12th 2018, 5:14 PM

    @Karen Ryan: So the press should ignore it when someone in as high a position as Trump says something that is very clearly not true??. The press writes so much about Trump because he gives them good reason to most of the time plus the job of the press and of any form of journalism is to hold those in power accountable for there actions and if Trump says something asinine as this the press has a right to call him on it because even a die hard Trump supporter shouldn’t be him here, the stats speak for themselves and the US handling of the hurricane was a shambles as shown by the fact that the death toll is still rising almost a year later

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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    Sep 12th 2018, 5:41 PM

    @Karen Ryan: he is a tool.

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 6:15 PM

    @Seamus Mc Meel: I’m great Seamus thanks for asking , I have plenty of news outlets I watch them all its good to take it all in ……

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    Mute DJ François
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:03 PM

    Not to mention the electricity rebuilding contractor Whitefish Energy, and ties to a major Trump donor

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    Mute Declan Carroll
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:01 PM

    Trump Derangement Syndrome in motion again. He is damned when does & damned when he doesn’t.

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    Mute Ciarān
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:07 PM

    @Declan Carroll: Because he Does stupid stuff and Doesn’t do anything good for anyone

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:21 PM

    @Ciarān: This was from news reports at the time :
    9,500 cargo containers with medicine, food, and other goods were stuck at the port of San Juan. It noted they need the local truck drivers to move the goods if they’re going to receive the next shipment of supplies currently on its way.
    CNBC blamed failure to move the supplies on the inability of trucking companies to contact their drivers to get them to go to work and on a lack of fuel for the delivery trucks. Local media have reported a different reason: truck drivers with the Puerto Rican Teamsters Union, Frente Amplio, are allegedly refusing to move the supplies.
    According to the local TV station WAPA, the strike is over a recently passed law: “el proyecto del Senado 525 que da paso a la Ley de Transformación Administrativa de la Comisión de Servicio Público,” also called “el Proyecto del Senado 525.”
    The law caused a rift with unions by placing control and regulation of public transportation in Puerto Rico under the local Public Service Commission.
    Colonel Michael A. Valle, director of the Joint Air Component Coordination Element, responsible for Hurricane Maria relief efforts in the area, told Huffington Post, “The aid is getting to Puerto Rico. The problem is distribution … Supplies we have. Trucks we have. There are ships full of supplies, backed up in the ports.
    Valle said the problem is “only 20 percent of the truck drivers show up to work.” there were other reports that the union drivers wanted $50 an hour to deliver .
    and now it’s Trumps fault !!

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 4:49 PM

    Who said anything about the Puerto Ricans ? I was referring to the management if you read the post and just to clarify I didn’t cut and paste from the daily caller I posted from another site but I must have a look and see what they did report. it aint no comedy at all my dear very tragic what happened but you had the mayor of San Juan blaming Trump when the relief was there. she is trying to cover up for her incompetence the same woman is been sued by Yadira Molina

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 5:10 PM

    @neilo: Who said anything about the Puerto Ricans ? I was referring to the management if you read the post and just to clarify I didn’t cut and paste from the daily caller I posted from another site but I must have a look and see what they did report. it aint no comedy at all my dear very tragic what happened but you had the mayor of San Juan blaming Trump when the relief was there. she is trying to cover up for her incompetence the same woman is been sued by Yadira Molina

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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    Sep 12th 2018, 5:40 PM

    @Karen Ryan: he’s a nob and a tool.

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    Mute Michael Farrelly
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    Sep 12th 2018, 10:04 PM

    @Karen Ryan: you are so full of it

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    Mute Lambo Moonski
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    Sep 12th 2018, 3:06 PM

    Trump should have enacted his weather control powers

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    Mute Drian Buffy
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    Sep 12th 2018, 4:17 PM

    Most of those criticizing Trump’s FEMA response in Puerto Rico have nothing to say about George W Bush and Katrina.

    Hysterical since the Puerto Rico response was being hampered by the mayor of San Juan for months

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Sep 12th 2018, 6:56 PM

    @Drian Buffy: Your right .. Trump just upholding the tradition of privatisation following a disaster.

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 5:19 PM

    While the Journal continuously post about Trump where is their report on the EU copyright directive is ADOPTED by the European Parliament with 438 votes in favor, 226 against and 39 abstentions. Publishers rights and platform liability for copyrighted content are in the text. this is bad news for us ,

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    Mute Colin Reilly
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    Sep 12th 2018, 5:54 PM

    @Karen Ryan: go home Karen

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    Mute Karen Ryan
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    Sep 12th 2018, 6:22 PM

    @Colin Reilly: I’m at home , or was that statement “shut up” I enjoy free speech and if it offends you don’t read it …………. don’t call the hurty police line on me now …!!

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    Mute Dave Walsh
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    Sep 12th 2018, 4:31 PM

    Some needs to say it “A BULLSHITTER”

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