Kilkenny drivers urged to slow down as six more people killed on our roads
Kilkenny drivers have been urged to slow down and take more care after it was revealed that six more people lost theirs lives on Irish roads in 2019 compared to 2018.#
Six people were killed on Kilkenny roads in 2019.
A total of 148 people lost their lives in 2019, compared to 142 in 2018, a 4% rise – 2018 was the safest recorded year on Irish roads.
The 148 deaths were the result of 137 fatal crashes, compared to 142 lives lost in 135 fatal crashes in 2018.
“After recording the safest year on our roads in 2018 it is deeply saddening that not only have we lost 148 lives on the road in 2019, but that it represents an increase in road deaths,” Liz O’Donnell, Chairperson of the Road Safety Authority (RSA) said .
“We must respond to this increase the same way we have responded to previous setbacks. Rather than being disheartened it should spur us and our road safety partners into renewed effort.”
The figures were published by the RSA following an analysis of provisional fatal collision reports by An Garda Síochána.
Casualty figures for 2019 show that while there has been a sharp drop in pedestrian deaths, down 15 or 36%, and passenger deaths, down 4 or 20%, there has been a worrying increase in the number of drivers killed, up 25 or 45%, compared to 2018.
While there was one more motorcyclist death recorded in 2019 compared to 2018 (16 versus 15) an overall analysis of vulnerable road user (VRU) casualties shows that there was a 23% reduction in VRU fatalities.
