Connacht Tribune
Gardaí warn of festive roads blitz in Galway
Over 60 checkpoints per day are being set up across the Garda Western Region as the Christmas road safety campaign switches into top gear for the peak of the holiday season.
Gardai have made a renewed appeal to motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to abide by seven principles that they say would massively reduce the risk of serious accidents, death and injury on the roads this Christmas.
According to Acting Regional Traffic Superintendent for the Western Region, Ernie White, adherence to the following seven-point plan could make a major contribution to a reduction in road deaths and serious injuries this Christmas on our roads.
■ Never, ever drink and drive or while under the influence of drugs.
■ Slow down and always remember that a speed limit is a legal maximum. Road and weather conditions must be taken into account.
■ Regardless of how short a journey is, always ensure that everyone in the vehicle wears their seat belts.
■ Distraction driving has to be avoided at all costs. Mobile phone and ipad usage as well as fatigue are the ones to watch here.
■ The onus is on you as a driver never to drive carelessly or dangerously such as reckless overtaking manoeuvres or driving too close to the vehicle in front of you.
■ Have your vehicle in good mechanical/working order with lights, brakes and tyres all checked out properly.
■ Cyclists and pedestrians should wear high visibility clothing (even during daylight hours) but especially so during the hours of darkness. Bicycles should be properly it up: cyclists should abide by the rules of the road.
Supt. White also warned driver who have consumed alcohol ‘the night before’ to take a taxi or public transport if they are in any doubt about their driving.
“Nearly one in eight (12%) of all drink driving arrests occur between 8am and 2pm, and of those, almost one third happen on a Sunday, peaking between 8am and 2pm.
“It is critical from the point of view of road safety that drivers do not risk driving the morning after a night out. It is just not worth the chance if you are still over the legal limit,” said Supt. White.
He also warned passengers never to take a lift from someone who had consumed alcohol or drugs. “Drink driving destroys lives. At worst, you could lose your licence but far worse – and far more difficult to live with – is the possibility of seriously injuring or killing someone on the roads,” he said.
In the Garda Western Region – Galway, Mayo, Clare, Roscommon and Longford – 25 people have lost their lives so far through the course of 2017. Eleven of those deaths were in Mayo, six in Galway, four in Roscommon, three in Clare and one in Longford.
Supt. White has also warned motorists of the risk of driver fatigue, pointing out that this could be a contributory factor in 20% of all driver deaths on Irish roads as well as impacting on other road users.
“Drivers need to factor breaks into their journeys, especially if travelling with children. Ensure that you are rested before commencing a journey and if feeling tired, pull over, take a 15 to 20 minute nap followed by a cup of coffee and some fresh air.
“Remember, don’t try and fight sleep at the wheel. Turning up the radio or opening the windows will not cure tiredness. The only cure is rest and sleep,” he said.
The Christmas/New Year Garda road safety campaign that began on December 1 last will continue through to Monday, January 8 next.
Significant state investment is required to address ‘shocking’ inequalities that leave cancer patients in the West at greater risk of succumbing to the disease.
A meeting of Regional Health Forum West heard that survival rates for breast, lung and colorectal cancers than the national average, and with the most deprived quintile of the population, the West’s residents faced poorer outcomes from a cancer diagnosis.
For breast cancer patients, the five-year survival rate was 80% in the West versus 85% nationally; for lung cancer patients it was 16.7% in the west against a 19.5% national survival rate; and in the West’s colorectal cancer patients, there was a 62.6% survival rate where the national average was 63.1%.
These startling statistics were provided in answer to a question from Ballinasloe-based Cllr Evelyn Parsons (Ind) who said it was yet another reminder that cancer treatment infrastructure in the West was in dire need of improvement.
“The situation is pretty stark. In the Western Regional Health Forum area, we have the highest incidence of deprivation and the highest health inequalities because of that – we have the highest incidences of cancer nationally because of that,” said Cllr Parsons, who is also a general practitioner.
In details provided by CEO of Saolta Health Care Group, which operates Galway’s hospitals, it was stated that a number of factors were impacting on patient outcomes.
Get the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune, on sale in shops now, or you can download the digital edition from www.connachttribune.ie. You can also download our Connacht Tribune App from Apple’s App Store or get the Android Version from Google Play.
Galway 3-18
Cork 1-10
NEW setting; new opposition; new challenge. It made no difference to the Galway minor hurlers as they chalked up a remarkable sixth consecutive double digits championship victory at Semple Stadium on Saturday.
The final scoreline in Thurles may have been a little harsh on Cork, but there was no doubting Galway’s overall superiority in setting up only a second-ever All-Ireland showdown against Clare at the same venue on Sunday week.
Having claimed an historic Leinster title the previous weekend, Galway took a while to get going against the Rebels and also endured their first period in a match in which they were heavily outscored, but still the boys in maroon roll on.
Beating a decent Cork outfit by 14 points sums up how formidable Galway are. No team has managed to lay a glove on them so far, and though Clare might ask them questions other challengers haven’t, they are going to have to find significant improvement on their semi-final win over 14-man Kilkenny to pull off a final upset.
Galway just aren’t winning their matches; they are overpowering the teams which have stood in their way. Their level of consistency is admirable for young players starting off on the inter-county journey, while the team’s temperament appears to be bombproof, no matter what is thrown at them.
Having romped through Leinster, Galway should have been a bit rattled by being only level (0-4 each) after 20 minutes and being a little fortunate not to have been behind; or when Cork stormed out of the blocks at the start of the second half by hitting 1-4 to just a solitary point in reply, but there was never any trace of panic in their ranks.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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GARDAÍ and the IFA have issued a joint appeal to all road users to take extra care as the silage season gets under way across the country.
Silage harvesting started in many parts of Galway last week – and over the coming month, the sight of tractors and trailers on rural roads will be getting far more frequent.
Inspector Conor Madden, who is in charge of Galway Roads Policing, told the Farming Tribune that a bit of extra care and common-sense from all road users would go a long way towards preventing serious collisions on roads this summer.
“One thing I would ask farmers and contractors to consider is to try and get more experienced drivers working for them.
“Tractors have got faster and bigger – and they are also towing heavy loads of silage – so care and experience are a great help in terms of accident prevention,” Inspector Madden told the Farming Tribune.
He said that tractor drivers should always be aware of traffic building up behind them and to pull in and let these vehicles pass, where it was safe to do so.
“By the same token, other road users should always exercise extra care; drive that bit slower; and ‘pull in’ that bit more, when meeting tractors and heavy machinery.
“We all want to see everyone enjoying a safe summer on our roads – that extra bit of care, and consideration for other roads users can make a huge difference,” said Conor Madden.
He also advised motorists and tractor drivers to be acutely aware of pedestrians and cyclists on the roads during the summer season when more people would be out walking and cycling on the roads.
The IFA has also joined in on the road safety appeal with Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Chair Teresa Roche asking all road users to exercise that extra bit of care and caution.
“We are renewing our annual appeal for motorists to be on the look out for tractors, trailers and other agricultural machinery exiting from fields and farmyards,” she said.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Families queue up for school’s offer of free house
West has lower cancer survival rates than rest
Galway minors continue to lay waste to all opponents
Gardaí and IFA issue a joint appeal on summer road safety
Marathon Man plans to call a halt – but not before he hits 160 races
