A third person has died today following Friday’s crash near Athy, Co Kildare.
James O’Brien (85) of Kilkea, Castledermot, Co Kildare was the driver of a car which was in collision with a motorcycle on the M9 link road.
His wife Betty O’Brien (81) who was a passenger in the car passed away on Friday. The couple were returning from visiting a family member.
Motorcyclists John Doyle (29)from Kilberry, Athy also died after Friday’s crash.He was travelling from the Glanbia factory at Ballitore, where he was working, to his home at Kilberry.
Mr O’Brien’s death brings to five the number of people killed on the roads over the weekend. Gardaí have renewed their appeal for road users to take extra care on the roads as a crackdown on speeding over the bank holiday weekend was in operation across the country.
Operation Slowdown will see up to 200,000 vehicles checked for speeding this weekend and is being run by the Garda and Go Safe, the company that operates speed cameras.
On Saturday a woman a woman in her 50s was killed when she lost control of her motorbike at Lissvieen, Co Kerry on the approach into Killarney from Cork. While the cause of the crash is still being investigated, it appears the woman’s bike struck a traffic island at 4.50pm on Saturday. She was from Dunmanway, Co Cork.
On Friday, a man was killed when the 4x4 he was driving lost contact with the road and hit a tree on the L3024 near Beaufort, Co Kerry, at 7.15pm. He was named as John Riordan (32), Listry, Co Kerry.
It has also appealed for witnesses to Friday’s fatal collision or motorists travelling on the N78 link road between Athy and Ballitore from 1.30pm and 3pm to contact Athy Garda station on 059-8634210.
The crash happened at a T-junction on a wide, undulating, straight stretch of road close to the M9 Dublin-to-Waterford motorway, about 4km from Athy.
The latest casualties follow a period in which road deaths have begun to increase again after a major road safety campaign and Garda enforcement drive halved the numbers of deaths to levels not seen since records began 60 years ago.
There were 78 fatalities on the roads in the first five months of this year, compared with 64 deaths during the corresponding period last year.
The increase has led to fears that drivers are beginning to become complacent and the Garda’s rate of enforcement has fallen because funds to mount major safety campaigns and put in place additional checkpoints are no longer available.
During a recent appearance before the public accounts committee, Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan said the strength of the Garda force had fallen to 13,330, with more than 1,200 members having retired since the public sector recruitment moratorium was introduced.
He also suggested a 12 per cent drop in issuing some categories of penalty points last year may in part be attributable to fewer gardaí in the force.