Teenage girl seriously injured in Cork road accident
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses to an accident in which a 16-year-old girl was left fighting for her life after being hit by a car in Ballincollig, Co Cork.
The collision occurred near Tesco’s, on Main St, Ballincollig, at 7.45pm last night. The driver of the car was uninjured but the girl, a pedestrian, is believed to have suffered head injuries. She was taken by ambulance to Cork University Hospital (CUH). The road was closed for a time to allow an examination of the area by forensic collision investigators.
The accident took place as the Road Safety Authority (RSA) released provisional statistics which show that fewer people died on Irish roads in 2018 than in any other year since records began almost 60 years ago.
As of 3pm yesterday, a total of 149 people had lost their lives on our roads, compared to 156 in 2017 and 640 in 1972, when fatalities peaked.
However there was a a 32% increase in pedestrian casualties (41) compared to 2017 (31).
Moyagh Murdock, RSA chief, said 54% (22) of pedestrian deaths were among those aged 55 plus. “Pedestrian safety, particularly the safety of older persons, will therefore be a key priority for the RSA in 2019,” she said.
All other categories of fatality in 2018 were down on 2017, including drivers, from 65 to 63; passengers, from 25 to 21; motorcyclists, downfrom 20 to 15 and nine cyclists, down from 14.
Transport Minister Shane Ross said speed continues to pose a problem, with 130,000 drivers detected committing speeding offences in 2018. Drink driving also persisted and “unaccompanied learner drivers continue to break the law”, he said.
Almost 30,000 drivers were detected using a mobile while driving; almost 9,000 were driving under the influence of an intoxicant; and over 11,000 were detected for seatbelt offences.
RSA chair Liz O’Donnell called for funding to enable the roll out of new smartphone and in-vehicle technology, which allows gardaí check the licence and insurance status of drivers at the roadside. This would “revolutionise road traffic policing and needs to be given the highest priority in 2019”.
