Wednesday, September 19 is the day for the annual ‘European Day Without A Road Death’, or EDWARD.
The project aims to have no road deaths across Europe for the day, with hopes to increase this for every day beyond.
On average, 70 people still die every day on Europe’s roads. Remarkably, on project EDWARD day last year, there were zero fatalities on Irish roads.
An Garda Síochána joins the Road Safety Authority in supporting Project EDWARD every year since its inception in 2016.
A lot of offences recorded on Project EDWARD last year
In 2017, there were 522 speeding offences, 89 mobile phone, 18 drink or drug driving arrests and 29 safety belt offences detected on the day.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris said: “2017 recorded the lowest number of road deaths in Ireland, however we may see an increase in 2018, judging by the number of recent collisions. We can never be complacent about road safety.
“That is why initiatives such as Project EDWARD are so important in keeping road safety in the minds of all road users. Concentrating 100 percent when using the road prevents collisions from happening.”
He added: Reduce speed, never drink or take drugs and drive, put away the mobile, belt up for every journey and make yourself visible. These are simple life saving tips. Be as safe as you can and should be, not just on Project EDWARD day, but every day.”
The news has also been announced that there will be 150 new Roads Policing members appointed across the country by end of 2018.
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