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Eamonn Farrell/RollingNews.ie

Pedestrians urged not to 'stagger' home drunk on country roads

The RSA has said people automatically vilify drivers when drunk pedestrians are often the causes of fatal collisions.

PEOPLE PLANNING TO go out drinking over the bank holiday weekend are being urged to either arrange a lift or get a taxi home, to avoid a situation in which they are ‘staggering’ onto a dark road at the end of the night.

Research published by the Road Safety Authority this week found that there were 81 fatal collisions between 2008 and 2012 where pedestrians had consumed alcohol. Half of these collisions occurred in Dublin, Galway, Donegal, Cork and Kildare.

The research found more than half of these pedestrians had high blood alcohol levels.

RSA research manager Maggie Martin said during that four year period, 76 pedestrians were killed “because of their own alcohol consumption”.

“So, instead of trying to find a lift home, instead of organising themselves, they’re taking the risk, they’re going out on the country roads,” she said. ”

“And this is a very, very scary part because we always automatically vilify the driver, not the pedestrian.”

‘Staggering’

Martin said some of these intoxicated pedestrians were “lying across the ground” or “staggering” on the road.

Can you imagine what it must be like to drive along a country road, you’re either the person who’s the designated driver or you’re going to pick up your daughter, you’re going to pick up your husband or wife, somebody, and you’ve turned around a corner and suddenly out of nowhere you go: “Oh my God, what did I just do?” And this is a recurrent theme that I’ve seen, you’re going: “I’ve hit something, I’ve hit something.”
They do not know what they have hit because it’s so dark or the person is all dressed in black or they’re lying across the road. And these people are flagging other people down other cars to help them and they are just hoping their worst fear is not confirmed. That they have killed somebody. Not due to their own bad road behaviour, but because of a drunk pedestrian.

Forgotten

She said this group of innocent drivers is often forgotten despite the fact that the incident is traumatic for them and they have to undergo an investigation afterwards.

“Their vehicle gets taken away, it gets tested to see what position the pedestrian was in when they were hit, whether there was, unfortunately, flesh underneath, or was it only on the top?”

There will always be a “lingering suspicion from other people and in their own minds”, Martin explained.

Already this year, 74 people have been killed on Irish roads – a more than 25% increase on last year. That includes 16 pedestrians.

The June bank holiday is always one of the worst weekends of the year for road deaths. The RSA is urging drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians and cyclists not to consume any alcohol before they head out on the roads to avoid any further tragedies.

Read: Ireland’s drunk drivers will leave siblings to die and move bodies to avoid arrest>

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    Mute Dean Anderson
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    May 15th 2014, 2:19 PM

    Ireland should have some formal way of rewarding and honouring its citizens. The president could present them each year for achievement, charity work etc. in various fields

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    Mute Rawoc
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    May 15th 2014, 2:27 PM

    This is long overdue and would be a worthy scheme to acknowledge the contribution of people in our society who make special contributions but we would need special measures to ensure independence and freedom from overt political influence!

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    Mute Jeremy Usborne
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    May 15th 2014, 3:24 PM

    Isn’t there a ‘Presidents medal’ of some kind?

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    Mute Dylan
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    May 15th 2014, 3:56 PM

    You receive something similar from the president for completing the gold Gaisce award, thats the only similar thing I can think of though what you can do to achieve a Gaisce award is a lot more restricted than an OBE or other awards.

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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    May 15th 2014, 4:35 PM

    I don’t agree. It would just be abused by politicians for back slaps and laughs.

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    Mute Dylan Drein
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    May 15th 2014, 4:46 PM

    Jesus Christ is that the song that’s going to be played every time some new positive development is suggested, “no we can’t because politicians”? For an island of over 4,500,000 people I think we can do some things without mentioning one of the 166 people sitting in the Dáil. An award recognising the talents and achievements of our own is long overdue at this stage. Would she have been recognised at all in her field if she had stayed and done her research here in Ireland? Probably not, which is a bit embarrassing for us if you ask me.

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    Mute cosmological
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    May 15th 2014, 2:17 PM

    Wonderful – science is paramount.

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    Mute RiobairdOMaingain
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    May 15th 2014, 4:53 PM

    How can awards like that exist when there is no empire? Just seems a bit odd getting an Order of the British Empire when there isn’t one to start with.

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    Mute Niall Keaveney
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    May 15th 2014, 6:21 PM

    I’d love to be awarded an OBE. So I could tell them where to shove it.

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    Mute John Curry
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    May 15th 2014, 2:28 PM

    anyone know what the restrictions are?

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    Mute J. Dunn
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    May 15th 2014, 3:37 PM

    2 for 1 drinks at Parliament bar on Mondays 4:00-5:30.

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    Mute James O'Shea
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    May 15th 2014, 10:39 PM

    Re introduce The Order of Saint Patrick???

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