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Don't be a road death statistic
21.03.08
INISHOWEN drivers are
being urged not to become a road death statistic
this Easter.
To date this year, 70 people were killed on the
country’s roads - up 14 on the same period last
year. Of those, 33 were drivers, 18 were
pedestrians,11 were passengers, three were
motorcyclists, four were cyclists and one was a
pillion passenger. |
Donegal County Council
road safety officer, Eamonn Brown appealed to all
road users to be extra careful this holiday weekend.
"We know the holiday weekends bring added risk for
road users so our message is simple - slow down,
wear your seat belt and never ever drink and drive.
"One of the worst holiday weekends in |
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terms of road
collisions was experienced back in March last year.
I would appeal to everyone to make a concerted
effort to ensure this level of tragedy doesn’t visit
our county again," said Mr. Brown.
He also warned drivers about driver fatigue with
more and longer journeys taking place around the
holiday period. “Latest research indicates that
driver fatigue could be a contributory factor in up
to a fifth of driver deaths in Ireland. It also
shows that driving, when very tired, is as dangerous
as driving while over the drink drive limit.
“As soon as you realise you are fighting the urge to
go to sleep you should stop driving,” added Mr.
Brown. “The best way to cope with this problem is to
stop driving, park in a safe place, drink two cups
of coffee and then take a fifteen minute nap.”
Caffeine takes between 20 and 30 minutes to enter a
person’s system and start working.
"By the time you wake up, the caffeine should have
taken effect. Following your nap, stretch your legs
and get some fresh air. You should now be fit to
drive for approximately another hour. However in
cases of extreme tiredness, brought on by sleep
deprivation, the only cure for a lack of sleep is
sleep," he added. |
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