02/09/2008

Road Deaths Prompt Call For School Speed Limits

The spate of recent road deaths over the weekend has prompted Fine Gael's Integration Spokesman to demand more speed limits near Irish schools.

TD Denis Naughten, the party's voice on immigration and integration said pupils lives were at risk as just six schools had specially reduced speed limits near their grounds.

According to the TD, lower limits at schools would save 175 children from injury or death.

"Thousands of children return to school this week, but for many children, parents and teachers this means running the gauntlet of passing traffic on roads where the legal speed limit is 100km/h."

"When the new metric speed limits were brought in three years ago, the Fianna Fáil Government pledged to lower speed limits on national roads where they pass schools.

"But three years later speed limits have been reduced at just six schools across the country," he said.

The call comes as Ireland's death toll on the road's reached a total of eight since the beginning of the weekend.

He added: "The results of a 30km/h speed reduction in Scotland showed a 60% reduction in the number of recorded accidents, with child pedestrian accidents falling by 70%.

"A reduction of 70% in child pedestrian accidents in Ireland would see 175 fewer children suffering injury or death on our roads this year."

See: Road Deaths Reach Eight

(DW)

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