Costello deeply saddened by Kerry road deaths
Posted on August 26, 2010 at 11:52 AM
Yesterday's accident in Kerry in which four young people lost their lives is a tragedy of immense proportions. I would like to extend my sympathies to the families of those who have died and to the family of the young man who survived the crash and who remains hospitalised.
My thoughts are also with the communities in Killarney, Castleisland & Farranfore where I am sure many people, especially the young, are grief stricken.
It is a devastating blow to any community to lose four young people in such a tragic manner and I am sure that many families all around the country were deeply affected by their deaths.
While these deaths occur against a backdrop of an overall reduction in road fatalities, there seems to be an increase in road fatalities of young people as evidenced by the deaths of eight young men in Donegal last month.
It is clear that more needs to be done. We now need the Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey to address a range of outstanding road safety issues including the national speed camera rollout, speed signage and limits, enforcement and the Graduated Driver Licence Scheme as a matter of urgency.
It is too soon to know definitively what caused this tragedy and the grief of the families is too raw for speculation. We must however again and again stress to our young people the importance of road safety so that we do not continue to bury our young.
