Man (20s) and teenager dead, two injured in Limerick car crash; man (40s) and child struck by car in Ballina, Co Mayo

Two people have been killed and four more are hospitalised after two separate incidents on Ireland’s roads yesterday evening.

In Co Limerick, a young man and a teenager were killed in a single-vehicle road crash and two more young men were injured. In Co Mayo, a man in his forties is in a critical condition and a young girl was also injured after they were struck by a car on a street in Ballina.

In Co Limerick, gardaí and emergency services attended the scene on the N69 at Ballyengland, Co Limerick at about 7.25pm.

The single vehicle collision occurred when the car collided with a wall.

Two passengers, a man in his 20s and a man in his late teens were fatally injured.

This brings the total number of deaths on Irish roads so far this year to 31.This includes a young girl (6) who died a week after a car crash in Westmeath on February 8.

Meanwhile, the driver and another passenger, both men aged in their late teens, are receiving treatment for non-life threatening injuries.

The bodies of the deceased have been removed to the mortuary at University Hospital Limerick, where a post-mortem will take place.

The road remains closed this morning with local diversions in place.

A technical examination will be carried out by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and who were travelling in the area at the time, are asked to make this footage available to gardaí.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Askeaton garda station 061 601630 or any garda station

In Co Mayo, a man in his forties and a young girl were hospitalised after they were struck by a car yesterday evening on Lord Edward Street, Ballina.

The incident happened at approximately 6.25pm.

The male pedestrian is currently in a critical condition at Mayo University Hospital.

The child is also receiving treatment. Her injuries are understood to not be life-threatening

The road is currently closed with local diversions in place. An examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators will take place this morning.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed this collision to contact them.

Any road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and who were travelling in the area at the time, are asked to make this footage available to Gardaí.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact Ballina Garda Station 096 20560 or any Garda Station.

Road deaths

Road deaths remain stubbornly high despite a determined Garda road safety crackdown and increased driver awareness promotions by the Road Safety Authority (RSA).

Now, a total of 30 people have died on Irish roads so far this year, one more than the number who lost their lives over the same period last year.

January last year proved one of the deadliest on Irish roads and set the tone for the worst year for fatalities recorded in over a decade, with 188 people dying on Irish roads in 2023.

Three counties – Dublin, Kildare and Carlow – have recorded three deaths each over the first seven weeks of this year. Three other counties – Cork, Mayo and Meath – have recorded two deaths each over the same period.

RSA chairperson Liz O’Donnell said the recent uptick in road fatalities was “a cause of serious concern” while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar – a former transport minister – insisted on personally chairing a ministerial meeting last November on road safety initiatives and invited Susan Gray of road safety campaigners Parc to give a lengthy presentation to ministers, gardaí, Courts Service, representatives from the RSA and Medical Bureau of Road Safety, and senior civil servants.

Mr Varadkar, who lost a family member in a road tragedy, said he was alarmed by the spiral in road deaths over recent months.

He indicated he would chair another ministerial meeting on road safety to assess progress on various safety issues.

Parc said the continuing trend was concerning. “What is worrying is that the numbers have been going in the wrong direction in 2022 and in 2023,” said Ms Gray.

She described as “heartbreaking” the further decline in Garda Road Policing Unit personnel numbers, which are now 15pc below 2021 levels.

The latest Department of Justice analysis of garda staffing levels shows that personnel attached to Road Policing Units (RPU) last year had fallen to 632 personnel – 104 below the figure from just two years ago.

“In the same year 188 people died in road crashes, the highest number in almost a decade, we noted from the data that some counties suffered more losses – both in roads policing numbers and road fatalities – than others,” said Ms Gray.

However, there are concerns that priority has been given to allocation of new gardaí to the Dublin area in the wake of last November’s riots.

Compared to other counties, Dublin has – on a per capita basis – one of the safest rates of road usage in Ireland.

A major campaign has been under way to reduce road deaths nationwide by cracking down on speeding as well as drink and drug-driving.

RSA officials have already met with Garda Road Policing Unit officials to discuss the road death figures and to determine a response.

There is also concern over the proportion of fatal collisions which include young drivers, with 42pc of the lives lost involving those aged 35 and younger.

Men are now dying on Irish roads at a rate of five-to-one compared to women.

Gardaí have urged motorists to reduce their speed and said the priority for every motorist should be arriving safely at their destination. The RSA also urged motorists to allow extra time for journeys and to drive with care and consideration for other road users.

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