Six people died on the State's roads yesterday as the Garda began a road safety campaign for the May bank holiday weekend.
"Operation Taisteal" began at midnight and will run until midnight on Monday. Extra officers will patrol the roads in an effort to clamp down on speeding, non-wearing of seat belts, drink driving and poor driving by young males.
Garda enforcement will be visible on all the road networks, with particular emphasis on accident black spots. Checkpoints will also be operated in each Garda Division over the weekend.
During the May Bank Holiday period last year, three people were killed on the State's roads and more than 119 injured. Gardai this afternoon named the six people who died yesterday. The deaths defy statistics released yesterday showing a 32 per cent drop in road deaths since the penalty points system for speeding began six months ago.
Seven-year-old Lewis Gough from Killvaloon, Ballaghaderreen, Co Roscommon was killed when he was struck by a lorry on the Charlestown Road at Bohalis, Ballaghaderreen, at 3.30 p.m. yesterday.
Another boy was killed by a lorry at Derryharrow, Co Longford, an hour later. Twelve-year-old cyclist Aaron Conboy from Gorteenoora, was rushed to St Joseph's Hospital where he died from his injuries. The man driving the lorry was uninjured.
In Kerry, one man died and a second was seriously injured in a collision between a car and a people-carrier on the main Killarney-Tralee road. The accident occurred at about 5.40 p.m. when the two cars collided on the N22, some three miles from Killarney. The dead man was named as Mr James Griffin (29), Knockroe, Kildimo, Limerick.
Elsewhere, a 76-year-old Monaghan woman died when an articulated lorry struck her car on the N2 at Castleshane, three miles outside Monaghan town, at 2.30 p.m. yesterday. She was named as Ms Mary McCarron from, Latlurgan, Co Monaghan. The lorry driver was treated for shock.
In Wexford, a motorcylist was killed after a collision with a car at Rocksborough at 5 p.m. yesterday. The victim, Mr Patick Redmond (27) of Grange, Kilmore, was taken to Wexford General Hospital. The driver of the car was not seriously injured.
In Tipperary, a 22-year-old lorry driver was killed when he lost control of his vehicle two miles outside Cashel at 8.40 a.m. yesterday. Gardaí named the victim Mr Noel Willbourne. He was from Kilcoolan, Ballyneety, Limerick.
