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TWO MALES IN their late teens have been killed in a single-vehicle collision in Donegal.
Gardaí in Buncrana are investigating the incident, which occurred on the R238, the Quigley’s Point to Moville road, at approximately 3.35am today.
One male was pronounced dead at the scene and the second was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, where he was pronounced dead.
The three other occupants of the car, also males in their late teens, were taken to Altnagelvin and Letterkenny hospitals, and are described as being in a stable condition.
The stretch of road is currently closed to facilitate an examination by garda forensic collision investigators and local diversions are in place.
Gardaí have appealed for witnesses, in particular anyone who may have travelled this road between 3am and 3.40am, to contact Buncrana Garda Station on 074 932 0540, the Garda Confidential Telephone Line on 1800 666 111 or any garda station.
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So sad they were only kids
The driving culture in Donegal and other Border counties is quite literally a shambles as are the roads and the enforcement or lack thereof of the Road Traffic Acts. Shambles as in original meaning being a butcher’s block.
Sure as a cop in Bailieborough one night a month or so ago told me when I reported a lethally dangerous Norn car up to the usual antics in Cavan (doing 100mph +; overtaking on blind bends; road-rage driver spaced on something by the look of him) said to me: “What do you want me to do? I’m one cop on duty covering seven towns!!”
As well as observing the cops here have no way of tracing or identifying Norn cars and drivers.
Inishowen, again. There needs to be a culture change.
Terrible tragedy for Donegal yet again. Give strength to their families and may their gentle souls RIP
RIP
God help their parents and families. RIP.
Donegal continues to be a motoring charnel house. There was a program on RTE radio think called “We determine who lives and dies” or similar. Terrifying. Some kids there even have beer bottle openers that double up as dummy seat belt catches to switch off the no belt warning. 1986 when I worked up there the driving was just as bad but the cars then were balls of shite and Isopon that might do 70/80 along the bad roads but sounded like the Last Trump and the shake rattle an roll meant you didn’t stay at that speed for long. Nowadays they’ll do 120+ with twincyams and turbos and as quiet as a whisper in the cabin. Roads are still as bad. Result: inevitable. I heard all the kids who were on that program are dead now. Where’s Minister Ross?
@John O’Driscoll: what would you like Ross to do ?
A) Build better roads
B) Improve driver skills/education/culture amongst vulnerable cohorts such as young people and elderly.
C) Use automation to force driver behavioural change. In California now as I saw driving there last time HighWay Code is enforced by Drone, as it says on the road signs. More speed cam and speed warning sign (Swindon lately replaced the former with the latter and says it works even better)
D) Use incentivisation to force driver behavioural change. If you have a prang you lose your Garda Age Card for a year if under 25
E) Provide better public transport initiatives
F) His job that I pay him more than I make myself for.
Edit
D) If you cause a prang etc.
Ins
G) cheap car insurance up to 1.1 litres for newly qualified and first five years driving; unaffordable car insurance for more than 1.1 litres ditto (Govt could provide free third party for small engined slow / governed vehicles by state decree if legal and social compo culture is reformed)
Why am I paying a dog and barking myself here?
@Suzie Sunshine: if fairness Ross doesn’t do anything worth while
@John O’Driscoll: you make some good points but remember, more speed cams will result in “Ah, that’s only a money making scheme ”
Can’t please everyone.
Just change the way the penalties are defined. Make non-monetary. Won’t be driving like a lunatic for long if two instances of speeding caught on cam for <25 means no licence for a year and mum and dad get fined a grand.
@John O’Driscoll: very valid points .. another point would be .. the parents. Sensitive or not .. what where doing out at that hour of the morning if they were only teenagers ? If the driver was only a teen then he may not have been with an experienced driver .are parents not teaching their kids about road safety ? .you can put every law in place to try and prevent this but if it’s not coming from home too , otherwise it’s useless .
@tom: exactly. .
@tom: He talks a lot… and says absolutely nothing.
Edit: Del: Make non-monetary. Just shift the burden of monetary component to those most likely to exert discipline on erring tyro driver.
@John O’Driscoll: what the hell is a prang?
@Suzie Sunshine: The problem here is that Inishowen has 3 nightclubs. It takes approximately 1 hour to drive from one end of Inishowen to the other. The problem lies therein in getting home on a night out, the late night time when most of these accidents primarily occurs. There is no public transport, extreme shortage of taxi services, a taxi service that is extremely expensive if you have to travel 30 mins home from the nearest night club resulting in a dependence on transport home with friends who are not drinking. Also, insurance premiums are very expensive meaning young people can only afford cars which may just be roadworthy. This fast car culture, mixed with poor roads does nothing to reduce the risks for car users.
@whocares lets just say any prang you can crawl away from is a good prang. Comparatively speaking.
@Mary Mary: as is the same with a lot of rural locations. . If you have 5 lads sharing the cost of a taxi it wouldn’t be as expensive. . Young lads need to wise up and parents need to keep a closer eye . If a lad or a girl isn’t acting responsible or if the trust isn’t there then they shouldn’t be behind the wheel .
@Suzie Sunshine: With all due respects to the deceased and their family members, you cannot assume the cause of the accident. And as regards parents, once a child turns 18, they are legally independent. Also, as I have said there are very few taxis available at 3am.
@Mary Mary – They may be legally independent state age 18 but not necessarily financially. Some of those kids talking on that RTE documentary I mentioned – We Decide Who Lives and Dies (just google it) referenced the cost of their insurance, around four grand, one having totalled her Impreza or similar and she sounded barely 20.
What 20 yr old can afford those sort of shekels and cars solely on their own resources?
There is indeed a parental role here.
Out of order for removing a valid point of view
@Ivan Enoughofit: two teenagers are dead and you’re more concerned about a comment being removed
@Jamie: gave a view on how to stop young males been killed in cars . No insensitivity in the comment what so ever . Speed restrictors and targeted approach . Won’t be giving view again . Let’s fix problem ,not ignore it . Might save lives
@Ivan Enoughofit: time and a place for that and I don’t think the comment section is the place for it
@Jamie: sensitive as it is there’s a need for such discussions if this is going to be prevented in the future . .
@Jamie: An awful tragedy. Disagree with you Jamie, this is a news site. As long as his post was not impolite and intending to be constructive it should be allowed. A young person might even read it and take heed.
Too many times we read about road accidents tragedies involving young people in Donegal, something is not right. Sympathies to all the families and friends.
@Martin Fahy: thanks for that support. Made the same point as yourself ,why is it Donegal again and something needs to be done .
Unfortunately the journal has taken it on themselves to edit views,that they believe might not be to their point of view.
They got rid of the red thumb because it showed people had different opinions to their articles expressed views and it’s also political correctness crap gone mad . Can’t disagree with someone or you are bullying them
@Ivan Enoughofit: if you happen to know any young lad from Donegal you would know there’s a massive car culture up there that’s the reason it’s not that hard to figure out
According to the radio documentary I earlier referenced cars are taken as a sign of young men’s virility by young women. Recall three such charming young lassies whose idea of a Friday Saturday night was sitting in their cars in the local Supervalu car park listeni to music and having a giggle and judging – to use one’s exact term – the parade of young men doing donuts and hand brakes before them. “See that Wee boy in the Starlet? That’s his mammy’s car. I’d never go out with less than a turbo better still a WRX [much bell-like laughter]“. Then a few minutes later they w talking about seatbelt buckle beer openers and how seat belts are like “too restricting”. All dead now. Tragic.
@Jamie: it’s not a car culture it’s boy racing and show boating . It involves speeding ,skips , handbrake turns and revving an engine . For the most part it’s fine to show off a car but the stupid element of them, act Illegally and that’s the danger to the rest of us
Loop holes in the law also need to be changed! How many of those killed in Donegal over the years are the registered owners of the vehicles? Very little I’d say. When I was 21 I bought a 300 bhp Evo and couldn’t get insured. Changed to my mother’s name, she got insured in it as I did her car and I drove it 3rd party. Nothing could be done to stop me driving it. Looking back, a 21 year old should not be aloud sit in a car that powerful never mind drive around 7 nights a week with my mates till all hours making a nuisance of myself to local people and the gaurds. Third party on other vehicles should only open at the age of 30 and a cap put on bhp.
@Keith Doyle: I am not referring to this accident may they RIP. How would young people get insurance if not as a named drive maybe as you say allow it on smaller cars.
@Joe Keogh: there are many small litre engines on the market that have a power output of 60 – 80 bhp which is enough for any young person. Also, I am not talking about named driver. I am talking about being 21 years of age, insuring my mother’s car fully comp, she did the same on my car and that allowed me to drive my own car in a third party capacity because I had my own policy and a full license. This is a loop hole that needs to be closed for young drivers.
A parent’s nightmare personified! RIP
Poor boys. RIP
I come from inishowen you have three guarda stations 1 in buncrana which is 20 miles from the accident 1 in cardonagh 1 in moville if they have 12 guards between the whole lot also there needs to be a cultural change I will bet there is no drink involved as they spend fortunes on these cars between insurance etc it purely down to speed passing on bends solid white line etc it never changes it’s going on for years and will continue to do so I am afraid
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