An Garda Síochána in partnership with The Road Safety Authority (RSA) recently launched their August Bank Holiday Road Safety Campaign.
The Campaign focuses on the issue of driver fatigue as it is estimated that driver fatigue could play a role in up to 1 in 5 fatal road collisions in Ireland. Between 2011 and 2015, 11 people were killed and 34 people were seriously injured over the August Bank Holiday period. This weekend, the RSA is teaming up with Applegreen to provide free cups of coffee to help drivers to combat tiredness behind the wheel. Simply mention ‘RSA’ to the till operator at any Applegreen Service Station nationwide to avail of a free coffee.
Commenting on the issue Moyagh Murdock, Chief Executive, RSA said: “Driver fatigue is something we all suffer from time to time, particularly people who drive long distances or do shift work. However, research suggests that it is as dangerous as drink-driving and could be a factor in up to 20% of driver deaths every year. It’s critical to recognise the symptoms and to take action before it’s too late. Pull in, sip a coffee or caffeinated drink, and take a 15 minute nap. After that, you should be ok to drive for another hour or so. Complacency is our biggest challenge over the next six months. We need to get the basics right every single time we use the roads. This means not driving impaired, not speeding, wearing our seatbelts, making sure we’re visible to other road-users and avoiding distraction and fatigue. We need to take personal responsibility and not take unnecessary risks that put ourselves – or others – in danger. By sharing the road safely together, we can all play a role in saving lives.”
Drink Driving was another cause emphasised by Chief Superintendent Aidan Reid, who said: “We appeal to the public to be responsible in relation to drinking and driving, especially coming into the August bank holiday period. Never, ever drink and drive. Never take a lift off someone who has been drinking and make every effort to dissuade that drink driver from driving – if necessary contact the Gardaí. You could be saving a life, yours, theirs or someone else’s.”
Finally, motorists are reminded to drive with care and within the speed limit. In May of this year Gardaí announced details of 355 new speed camera locations throughout the country which are being monitored.
You can view the the location and details of Speed Cameras in Roscommon here.