N17 targeted in road safety operation backed by Minister, Gardaí, and the Road Safety Authority
To address this, An Garda Síochána are conducting a dedicated road traffic enforcement operation on the N17 throughout the August Bank Holiday Weekend. The operation began at 7am on Thursday, July 31, and will run until 7am on Wednesday, August 6.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Sean Canney, visited the operation and urged the public to think carefully before setting out this bank holiday weekend.
'I'm pleading with people today. So far this year we have lost 91 lives on the road. That is devastating for the families involved, the communities and for everybody. If you're a driver of a car, if you're a cyclist, a motorcyclist, or a pedestrian going on the road, you have a personal responsibility to yourself and other road users. So I'm asking everybody to just think, take one minute before you hop into the car.'
Mr Canney reminded motorists of basic safety steps: 'When you get into the car the first thing you do is put on your seatbelt, the second thing you do is put your phone away so it's not within earshot, and make sure you have no drink or drugs taken when you twist that key.'
The N17 is a national primary road connecting Galway to Sligo and passes through a number of towns including Tuam, Claremorris and Knock. It has seen several fatalities in recent years.
'We wanted to highlight that this is a road with a particularly high number of fatalities,' said Chief Superintendent Ray McMahon from the Mayo, Roscommon and Longford Garda Division.
'This is the August Bank Holiday Weekend, traditionally one of the busiest weekends on the roads in Mayo, particularly down towards Westport and Achill. We want to raise awareness to people to just slow down and be conscious of the vulnerable road users we have such as cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians.'
He continued: 'We've had a number of fatalities in relation to pedestrians around the Mayo area this year so it's about raising awareness towards speed. We're going to be out in force from today right through until Wednesday. There is a considerable increase of checkpoints and the number of speed checks, we are keeping an eye on mobile phone use and seatbelts.'
The operation is a joint initiative between the Department of Transport, the Road Safety Authority (RSA), and An Garda Síochána. Mr Canney said the Department for Transport continues to support the RSA's road safety efforts, including driver training and testing, and works closely with Gardaí to enforce the law.
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'I work closely with Jim O'Callaghan, the Minister for Justice, because there's rules and regulations he brings in and we work in a combined effort to try and get the message out there,' he told the Irish Independent.
Today, the RSA published its mid-year review of road fatalities. The data revealed that there have been 86 fatal collisions resulting in 91 fatalities on public roads. Of these, 35 were drivers, 22 were pedestrians, 17 were motorcyclists, 8 were pedestrians and 1 was an e-scooter user.
25pc of all fatalities were aged 25 years or younger, showing a decrease of 14 fatalities in this age category compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, fatalities in the 46-65 age category are at the highest level in six years. Since July 2024, passenger fatalities have dropped by 16, but there's been a rise in fatalities involving cyclists, pedestrians, and motorcyclists. 56pc of all fatalities occurred on 80km/h and 100km/h roads. Additionally, 59pc of fatalities occurred in a single vehicle collision.
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Sarah O'Connor, the RSA's Director of Partnership and External Affairs, highlighted the heightened risks during the summer months: 'Over the last number of years we have seen either July or August feature among the highest months for fatalities. We are reminding people that this bank holiday weekend you can make a huge difference, you can prevent serious injuries and you can save lives.'
She added: 'Our mid-year report gives us a sense of what's been happening on Irish roads up until Monday this week. We have seen falls in passenger and driver fatalities, but we have seen growth across motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians,
'We can all take great care and ensure that no person has to have a Guard called to their door with the most devastating news conceivable.'
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