Rural roads with speed limits of 80km/h and over are to be targeted in a new national road safety enforcement operation.
Operation Teorainn will be mounted nationwide and focus on the four lifesaver offences – speeding, driving whilst intoxicated, non-seatbelt wearing and mobile phones – as well as unaccompanied driving by learner drivers, plus road transport offences.
The Road Safety Authority (RSA) will support Operation Teorainn with a programme of road safety awareness campaigns.
The joint road safety drive comes after a bad summer for road safety this year, particularly August, which recorded the highest number of monthly fatalities (24) since June 2012 (26).
The number of deaths overall this year at 110 is a cause for concern, but particularly the number of driver deaths, An Garda Síochána said.
There has been a 19% increase in the number of drivers killed (57) this year compared to the number of drivers killed (48) up to the same period in 2020.
Rural roads
In 2021, 78% of fatalities have occurred on rural roads with a speed limit of 80km/h or above, which will be a particular focus of Operation Teorainn.
With just two and a half months remaining in 2021, An Garda Síochána and the RSA are calling on road users, and particularly drivers, to make a greater effort to stay safe on the road.
Chief superintendent Michael Hennebry, Garda National Roads Policing Bureau, said:
“Every fatal or serious injury collision has a devastating impact on the family, friends and communities of the people involved.
“Our focus for the remainder of 2021 will be to reduce these collisions through this road safety enforcement campaign.
“Our roads are shared spaces, and we all have a duty of care, to ourselves and to others, to keep each and every road user safe. I am urging every road user to play their part by complying with the road traffic legislation and assist An Garda Síochána to make our roads safer places for all.”
The RSA will deploy a campaign targeting learner and novice drivers to remind them that they are subject to a lower penalty point threshold than ordinary drivers.
A second campaign is targeted at male drivers.
“Analysis of collision data clearly tells us that road safety is a significant male problem,” Sam Waide, CEO of the RSA said.
“79% of driver fatalities between 2016-2020 were male. We will be laying bare more of these facts and challenging males to examine their road behaviour in our new campaign.”