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Gardaí warn of Christmas checkpoints crackdown
Galway Gardai have asked motorist to abide by ‘The Six Commandments’ this Christmas . . . and in the process take a giant step towards avoiding road deaths over the holiday period.
Booze, speed, seat-belts, distractions, careless behaviour and proper lighting need to be ticked-off by motorists as everyone gears up for the Christmas and New Year season.
So far this year, nine people have lost their lives on Galway roads while the fatality figure for Mayo in 2015 stands at 12 – Gardai have appealed for this figure not to increase over the coming weeks.
Between now and January 6 next, over 60 checkpoints a day will be carried out across the Western Garda Division of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon, Clare and Longford.
Gardai have also ‘put it on the line’ to ‘morning after’ drivers who chance going behind the wheel with alcohol still in their system from the night before.
“This year, there is a morning element to a percentage of those checkpoints focusing on drink driving. Also as part of the campaign, large urban towns will be given special attention on weekend nights,” said Supt. Noel Kelly, Western Regional Traffic Superintendent.
According to drinkaware.ie, on average, it takes one hour for the body to rid itself of one unit of alcohol i.e. a half pint of beer, a small glass of wine or a standards spirits measure.
“No amount of black coffee or cold showers or even a ‘Full Irish’ [breakfast] can speed up your body’s ability to eliminate alcohol,” drinkaware.ie state.
The blood alcohol limit is now just 50mgs. of alcohol per 100mls. of blood or 22 microgrammes of alcohol per 100mls. of breath [intoxalyser] or 67mgs. of alcohol per 100mls. of urine.
For professional or learner drivers the figures are reduced even further – 20mgs. of alcohol per 100mls. of blood; 9mgs. of alcohol per 100mls. of breath and 27mgs. of alcohol per 100mls. of urine.
“So, it has never been more important for drivers to ‘aim for zero’ the morning after. Even if you haven’t had a drink since last night, you may still be unfit to drive,” state drinkaware.ie .
Gardai, along with the Road Safety Authority (RSA), are also involved in a strong campaign this year to tackle the problem of fatigue driving – often common in the run-up to Bank Holiday weekends or the Christmas holiday period.
“It is estimated that driver fatigue has been a contributory factor in as many as one in five driver deaths each year in Ireland. Such collisions usually end up having a direct input on drivers, passengers, other road users and pedestrians,” said Supt. Noel Kelly.
The RSA have asked drivers to factor in 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 15-20 minute nap followed up 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 window will not cure tiredness. The only cure is rest and sleep,” the RSA advise.
The Gardai have also made a plea to motorists to get out of the habit of going near their mobile phones while driving, but so far the practice shows no sign of abating – in December 2014, Gardai ‘pulled over’ 237 motorists for using their mobiles while at the wheel.
Gardai have urged all other road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, to as ‘a matter of course’ wear high-vis vests or jackets as well as being properly ‘lit up’.
“We wish all road users a safe and Happy Christmas and New Year. We ask everyone to remember to ensure any action they might take while using the roads does not result in the loss of a life or serious injury to anyone.
“The message for this holiday period is to drive with caution, slow down, don’t drink and drive and always wear your seatbelt,” said Supt. Noel Kelly.
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.
On the eve of completing his 150th marathon, an odyssey that has taken him across 53 countries, Loughrea’s Marathon Man has announced that he is planning to hang up his running shoes.
But not before Jarlath Fitzgerald completes another ten races, making it 160 marathons on the occasion of his 60th birthday.
“I want to draw the line in 2026. I turn 57 in October and when I reach 60 it’s the finishing line. The longer races are taking it out of me. I did 20 miles there two weeks ago and didn’t feel good. It’s getting harder,” he reveals.
“I’ve arthritis in both hips and there’s wear and tear in the knees.”
We speak as he is about to head out for a run before his shift in Supervalu Loughrea. Despite his physical complaints, he still clocks up 30 miles every second week and generally runs four days a week.
Jarlath receives injections to his left hip to keep the pain at bay while running on the road.
To give his joints a break, during the winter he runs cross country and often does a five-mile trek around Kylebrack Wood.
He is planning on running his 150th marathon in Cork on June 4, where a group of 20 made up of work colleagues, friends and running mates from Loughrea Athletics Club will join him.
Some are doing the 10k, others are doing the half marathon, but all will be there on the finishing line to cheer him on in the phenomenal achievement.
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.
From the Galway City Tribune – An impassioned plea for a ‘masterplan’ that would guide Galway City into the future has been made in the Dáil. Galway West TD Catherine Connolly stated this week that there needed to be an all-inclusive approach with “vision and leadership” in order to build a sustainable city.
Deputy Connolly spoke at length at the crisis surrounding traffic and housing in Galway city and said that not all of the blame could be laid at the door of the local authority.
She said that her preference would be the provision of light rail as the main form of public transport, but that this would have to be driven by the government.
“I sat on the local council for 17 years and despaired at all of the solutions going down one road, metaphorically and literally. In 2005 we put Park & Ride into the development plan, but that has not been rolled out. A 2016 transport strategy was outdated at the time and still has not been updated.
“Due to the housing crisis in the city, a task force was set up in 2019. Not a single report or analysis has been published on the cause of the crisis,” added Deputy Connolly.
She then referred to a report from the Land Development Agency (LDA) that identified lands suitable for the provision of housing. But she said that two-thirds of these had significant problems and a large portion was in Merlin Park University Hospital which, she said, would never have housing built on it.
In response, Minister Simon Harris spoke of the continuing job investment in the city and also in higher education, which is his portfolio.
But turning his attention to traffic congestion, he accepted that there were “real issues” when it came to transport, mobility and accessibility around Galway.
“We share the view that we need a Park & Ride facility and I understand there are also Bus Connects plans.
“I also suggest that the City Council reflect on her comments. I am proud to be in a Government that is providing unparalleled levels of investment to local authorities and unparalleled opportunities for local authorities to draw down,” he said.
Then Minister Harris referred to the controversial Galway City Outer Ring Road which he said was “struck down by An Bord Pleanála”, despite a lot of energy having been put into that project.
However, Deputy Connolly picked up on this and pointed out that An Bord Pleanála did not say ‘No’ to the ring road.
“The High Court said ‘No’ to the ring road because An Bord Pleanála acknowledged it failed utterly to consider climate change and our climate change obligations.
“That tells us something about An Bord Pleanála and the management that submitted such a plan.”
In the end, Minister Harris agreed that there needed to be a masterplan for Galway City.
“I suggest it is for the local authority to come up with a vision and then work with the Government to try to fund and implement that.”
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
