The head of Garda roads policing has urged drivers involved in crashes to remain at the scene and “take the consequences” rather than fleeing.
Chief Supt Jane Humphries of the Garda National Roads Policing Bureau made her remarks in the wake of recent high profile hit and runs, and during a December road safety campaign period that has seen eight deaths over a nine-day period.
“What I would say to people is if you are involved in a collision do the right thing: remain at the scene, take the consequences,” she said at a briefing midway through this year’s Christmas policing operations.
“If you have been driving with care you have really nothing to be concerned about. People are human, people make mistakes. But...if you make decisions there are consequences, and you have to take responsibility for those consequences. Running away from them is not the right thing to do. It’s creating a lot of heartache for the families involved and inevitably you will be caught.”
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So far this year 178 people have been killed in various road crashes compared to 184 for the entirety of 2023, based on data from the Road Safety Authority.
During its Christmas operation, which began on November 29th, An Garda Síochána has conducted more than 2,500 checkpoints. There have been 3,750 speeding detections and gardaí have seized 550 vehicles.
“This period has proved, unfortunately, to have taken the lives of many people on our roads. From Friday the 20th [of December] up until yesterday eight people have unfortunately lost their lives,” said Chief Supt Humphries.
However, she said an assumption that awareness campaigns were not making any difference would be unfair, noting that earlier this year officials were braced for a higher number of deaths following a peak in 2023.
Speed limits on rural roads are due to be lowered from 80km to 60km at the beginning of February.
The Christmas enforcement operation has seen 268 arrests for intoxicated driving, including 74 over the last weekend.
“If you have a collision on our roads while under the influence it is no accident. It is a deliberate act that you have taken, and I think drivers need to ask themselves the question: what does that say about you as a person,” Chief Supt Humphries said.
“Also if you are a passenger in a car with someone who is intoxicated you have to call them out...you are giving them permission [to take the risk] by getting into the car with them.”
While efforts would be made in the new year to bolster Garda roads policing numbers, she said the focus was on driver behaviour and on appealing for greater safety. “Driving a car [is] probably the most dangerous thing that you will do. You are driving a tonne of metal. Although you may think that you’re well protected, reality has shown us that that’s not always the case.”
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