Caution urged as area’s road death figures are revealed

Mr Anderson stated: “I am deeply saddened to learn that 136 people lost their lives due to road collisions in Northern Ireland during 2013 and 2014. Sadly, within the Craigavon area there were 3 road deaths during 2013 and 2014, the Banbridge area experienced 6 deaths and the Armagh area also suffered from 5 road deaths during this period.

“Every death on our roads is a tragedy and my thoughts are with all those families who have went through the pain of losing a loved one due to a road accident.”

It has been noted that the three main causes of fatal collisions over the last 5 years in Northern Ireland were drink-driving, followed by excessive speed and then driver inattention or drivers having their attention diverted.

Mr Anderson continued: “I would urge drivers to not even consider driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs because they could cause a fatal road collision and could live to regret their actions.

“It is also important that everyone adheres to the speed limits of particular areas and does not allow their attention to be diverted by objects such as mobile phones.”

He concluded: “It is vital that the Department of Regional Development concentrates investment on accident black spots to prevent fatalities. Warning signage also needs to be kept up to date and improved where required. On top of this enforcement of driving rules by the PSNI needs to be rigidly maintained to ensure that road collisions are prevented from taking place.

I am however, significantly concerned to learn that the Department of the Environment’s budget for road safety communications, grants and educational material has been cut to just over £1 million.