Road deaths 'utterly soul-destroying', says bereaved mother

The 114 fatalities consist of 42 drivers, 27 pedestrians, 23 passengers, 15 motorcyclists, three cyclists, and two e-scooter users, and three counties have accounted for over a quarter (28%) of the deaths. Eleven people lost their lives in Galway, a further 11 in Mayo and 10 died in Cork.

According to Donna Price, founder of the Irish Road Victims Association (IRVA), “these figures are utterly soul-destroying for families, such as my own, who have been through the nightmare of losing a loved one on the roads". 

“Each ‘number’ that we talk about, is a cold statistic, but each number also represents a family that has been destroyed forever. There is no going back, our loved ones are gone,” she said.

In 2006, Donna’s son, Darren, was tragically killed in a collision in Co Westmeath.

“It’s just heartbreaking, losing a child is the worst thing that can happen to any parent,” Donna said.

Eighteen-year-old Darren was travelling to college in Athlone, when he was in a collision with a HGV, just outside Tyrellspass.

The teenager, who played inter-county football, died at the scene. He was the only occupant of his car. The lorry driver escaped uninjured.

That same year, 365 people died on Irish roads. “One death for every day of the year,” Donna said.

She also went on to highlight the number of people who “sustain serious, life-altering injuries.” “For them, life as they knew it, is over. A lot of them have to learn to walk again, a lot of them may never work again,” she said.

Preventable tragedies

According to the IRVA president, the “huge human tragedy” is “not just in Ireland, it’s worldwide” and can be prevented.

“These deaths are totally preventable, and we know the causes. The causes are speeding, or driving while impaired, while distracted, or while fatigued or tired, and every one of us has a role to play.

“We must all be extra vigilant and careful on the roads. We have a responsibility. This can happen in a split second and there is no turning back the clock.

“We must put a stop to this utter devastation. We all deserve to have safe streets,” she said.

Donna has called for a stronger Garda presence on our country’s roads in order to combat the rising number of fatalities.

“We need to see more gardaí, and we need much stricter enforcements so that people don’t continue to take a chance with their own lives and the lives of others,” she said.

According to Donna, we all must “change our habits” to ensure we “don’t endanger” ourselves or others.

“We continue to see people using their phones, scrolling, phones on their laps, children unrestrained in the back, or even the front seat of vehicles, and that’s not acceptable either,” she said.

Donna, who is also an RSA board member, is “very sad to see the figures at the moment”, however, she acknowledged that “the numbers have more than halved since my son was killed.

“Obviously zero is the only acceptable number for us because we know the utter devastation that is caused by even one road death, but I know that we are making a difference, our efforts are making a difference,” she said.

In the wake of her son’s death, Donna founded the Irish Road Victims Association (IRVA), an organisation that provides free information and support to those bereaved or injured by road traffic collisions.

“My poor child, we’ll never get over it. I would hope that he is proud of what we are doing in his memory, we are certainly trying to make a difference.

“Nobody wants to see an escalation of the figures, or families being destroyed, so we are doing all that we can,” she concluded.

In a statement, the Road Safety Authority echoed Ms Price's calls for road users to be vigilant.