'Very basic' safety campaign needed
An “epidemic” of drivers breaking red lights in county Cork has prompted a call to the Road Safety Authority (RSA) to launch a new targeted safety campaign.
Speaking at a recent meeting of Cork County Council, Cllr Patrick Donovan asked for a letter to be written to the RSA calling for a targeted advert campaign on driver/pedestrian safety, particularly at pedestrian crossings.
The Fianna Fáil councillor said: “The most dangerous thing we do on a daily basis is to get behind the wheel of a car.
“It's now a frequent occurrence in my own municipal district of Carrigaline to see drivers breaking red lights and for pedestrians to take chances.
“We need a very basic campaign to go back to the rules of the road to remind drivers and pedestrians of their obligations when they're on the road,” the Carrigaline councillor added.
Fine Gael's Jack White said Carrigaline is experiencing an “epidemic of people breaking red lights, driving while using the phone and texting, and having no regard to pedestrian crossings”.
“We've had very high profile and tragic accidents and incidents,” he said.
In 2023, local eight year old boy André Ladeiro was knocked down and killed at a pedestrian crossing in Carrigaline despite the lights displaying a green man.
Carrigaline Fine Gael councillor Úna McCarthy said crossings are meant to be safe points for people to cross the road but too often they are the scene of serious accidents.
She said: “In the Carrigaline municipal district we've seen too many such cases; a tragic fatality two years ago, and most recently a child injured while using a controlled crossing.
“Last week I spoke to the local guards who confirmed that the worst behaviour tends to be during the morning rush hour. While the gardaí are doing all they can, they can't camp out at crossings 24/7,” added Cllr McCarthy.
It was agreed amongst councillors and the County Executive that a letter would be written to both the RSA and Minister for Transport, Darragh O’Brien TD calling for a nationwide road safety campaign.