The Council’s Road Safety Officer Mr. Val Baynes noted that March Bank Holiday weekend saw the deaths of eight people on the country’s roads - three of whom were pedestrians. Equally disturbing was the fact that hundreds of motorists were arrested for drink driving - if these people hadn’t been stopped by the Gardai then even more people would have been killed on the nation’s roads.

Mr Baynes especially appealed to pedestrians to be careful on the county’s roads: ‘This year just under half the people killed on the nation’s roads were pedestrians.  Three of the last five road deaths in County Sligo also involved pedestrians. All pedestrians in rural areas should wear high visibility clothing and face oncoming traffic when walking along the roadside. The simple message for them is ‘Be Safe, Be Seen’.

The basic road safety message for all drivers remains the same:

‘2006 saw the lowest road death figures in County Sligo in eight years while the national figures as a whole have fallen by over a quarter in the last eight months.  Current Garda enforcement campaigns have lead to this dramatic fall in road deaths.

All road users should make a special effort to ensure our roads are safe for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.’