Seven dead in weekend crashes
Seven young people have died during another weekend of deaths on the roads, bringing the death toll so far this year to 304.
The latest victim was a 25-year-old man who died in a single-car accident in Co Roscommon.
Yesterday, a 25-year-old man was killed after the car in which he was travelling collided with a wall at Ballincrossig, Ballyduff, in Co Kerry. A 20-year-old woman, also in the vehicle when it crashed shortly before 8am, remains in a critical condition at Tralee General Hospital.
No other vehicles were involved in the collision on the main road between Tralee and Ballybunion.
Three men are still being treated in hospital for serious injuries after the car they were travelling in went out of control and crashed into a wall in Cashel, Co Tipperary, at 10.15pm on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, a 27-year-old man remains critically ill in hospital after a two-car head-on collision in Co Monaghan claimed the lives of four young men from the village of Threemilehouse.
In a separate accident, a 32-year-old man died after he was knocked down by a car as he walked along the N25 at Ballygoman, Barntown, in Co Wexford on Friday evening.
The fatalities come as the Road Safety Authority prepares to meet Minister for Transport Martin Cullen this week to present new proposals aimed at reducing the death toll among young male drivers.
Reports this morning say the measures may include placing speed-limiting devices on young people's cars to prevent them from driving faster than 80km/h.
Young drivers may be banned from the road after clocking up just six penalty points, while they may also be placed under a zero drink-driving limit and restricted to driving vehicles with low-size engines.
The restrictions are likely to apply to provisional licence-holders and people on a full licence for less than two years.
Damien English TD, one of the youngest members of the Dáil, said young people are not getting the message that a car is a lethal weapon.
"This has been a tragic week for the young people of Ireland," he said.
"Most of the (road) deaths this week have been very, very young people and we're not getting the message across that it could be them, it can be their friends, it could be their family."
