More on the Roads
December 5th, 2006A few items I’d like to note.
Firstly, the Letterkenny Joint Policing Committee for the third time yesterday. Among the topics discussed where local bye-laws, Anti-Social Behaviour and roads/traffic management. Superintendent Peadar Kearney had some alarming news; since local Gardai have undertaken their campaign of random breath testing, they have seen a marked change in the demographics of those caught driving with drink in their systems. More and more young people (under 25) are being found drunk behind the wheels. I was shocked to hear this; as Superintendent Kearney said, younger drivers had previously appeared in the drink driving statistics.
I hope this message spreads; the major benefits of random breath testing is not just the increase in enforcement, but also the appearance of the increase in enforcement. There is a horrible trait in Irish society, where we think it’s not a crime if you don’t get caught. That’s something we need to stamp out, both as a philosophy and as a reality. Increased enforcement of current legislation is clearly an effective way to reduce road accidents.
Second, this morning I received an acknowledgement from the Road Safety Authority, confirming that they had received the collated submissions from the Road Safety Blog project.
The final thing I’d like to note today is the tragic passing of Donna Ferguson, who was killed in a three-car collision in Co Fermanagh today. I had met Donna on a number of occasions in both a political and professional capacity, through her work as a News Reader and Journalist for Ocean FM in Sligo. Donna was a very capable journalist, with a very bright future in the media ahead of her. She had just returned to work, with the Q Radio Network in Omagh, after spending a year travelling in Australia.
This is a tragedy for all those who have worked with and knew Donna, but of course I can’t even begin to understand what this will mean to her family. I don’t know the circumstances of the accident, and I don’t think this is a time for that kind of detail.
Update: Here’s a story from The Donegal Post about Donna Ferguson.