Driver 'caution' urged following latest fatality

Three road deaths in Cavan in just over a week.

One of the division's senior officers has urged "caution" among motorists, and for them to check their driving behaviours in the wake of the latest road fatality on local roads.

The death of a man in his 40's following a crash on Friday morning, May 5, is the second to occur in Cavan in 24 hours, and the third in a little over a week.

Gordon Englishby, Superintendent in the Bailieborough Garda Division, the policing area in which all three road fatalities have occurred, is urging "caution" among motorists.

He says gardaí are intending to mounting a special operation over the weekend, with higher visibility to ensure compliance.

It follows a recent report that throughout the recent May Bank Holiday weekend, there was one fatal collision and 10 serious collisions took place that resulted in 11 serious and life-threatening injuries.

To date in 2023 a total of 59 persons have died on Irish roads, the same number as this time last year.

Over the May Bank Holiday period, An Garda Síochána carried out 774 Mandatory Intoxicant Testing (MIT) checkpoints.

Some 3,179 roadside drug and alcohol tests were also conducted which led to 188 arrests for driving under the influence of an intoxicant.

Garda Roads Policing Units meanwhile issued over 900 on the spot Fixed Charge Penalty Notices for speeding offences.

Of the 504,981 vehicles checked for speeding by Go-Safe nationwide, 2,159 drivers were detected and fined.

Fixed Charge Offences for other road offences during this period included 177 FCPN's for drivers holding a mobile phone; 103 to unaccompanied drivers; and 81 to divers or passengers not wearing a seatbelt.

Supt Englishby told The Anglo-Celt: "We're very conscious of the recent tragedies on our roads, three in our own area of Bailieborough Garda Division also, so we're appealing to drivers and the public at large to be caution on the roads, and to take care."

The victim of last Thursday's accident on the N3 at New Inns has been named at 26 year old Colm Tully from Cootehill.

Aaron Keenan (22) from Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, was the driver that died following a motorbike crash outside Kingscourt on the evening of April 26.

Until the recent tragedies there had been no road deaths in 2023 on Cavan roads.