WATCH: Driving the Dunboyne Maynooth Road - one of Ireland's deadliest routes

The horror of people being killed or suffering life-changing injuries just yards from your front door, has been highlighted by residents of the Dunboyne Maynooth Road, who are calling for a reduction of the speed limit and accident black spot signs along that road, which has been the site of three fatal accidents in the past year.

The road is notorious for accidents with its narrow bad bends and in recent weeks, the local postman has stopped delivering to some local houses on certain busy days because of the extreme danger involved in stopping.
The lives of three families were torn apart in the past year when three men lost their lives in three separate tragic accidents on the road.

 

Residents are calling for a reduction of the 80km per hour speed limit to 50 km per hour and for great enforcement and signage, as the road has been the scene of countless accidents over the years.
Local resident, Margaret Thornton, explained that she lived on a series of bad bends.
“Anyone coming round the bend at my house at 80km per hour will end up on my lawn.
“I've had lorries, cars, lorryloads of steel and 30 tonnes of grain end up on my lawn.
“I've had 13 mature trees and several shrubs demolished. When my children were small they were afraid to go out.
She recently had her post delivered with a note saying some of it was late, as the delivery driver could not stop due to speeding cars, and it was a health sand safety issue.

 

“My nearest post office is Dunshaughlin. I don’t know if I have to go there for post or if he'll deliver on quieter days,”she said.
Margaret, who is a nurse spoke to the Joe Duffy programme last week about the issue and said her problem with the post was only minor in comparison to the appalling loss of life that she and her neighbours had seen.
“As a nurse I've been at the scene of four fatalities and others with appalling injuries and some with more minor injuries.
“All we want is Meath County Council to lower the speed limit to 50km per hour and that it be adequately enforced.
She said Meath County Council had put up signs about concealed entrances, but she pointed out that there had never been an accident there because of a concealed entrance.

“It is speed that causes the accidents. People don't know the road. They are legally entitled to drive at 80km per hour, but they cannot negotiate the bends at 80km per hour.
“The volume of traffic has also increased in recent years and there are a huge amount of houses on this road.
Marian Brennan points out that since Easter last year, there have been three lives lost on the road.
“They all happened within a couple of hundred yards of each other. This is a very busy road, it is a feeder road to Intel and also to Ballycoolin, Damastown and IBM.
“The 80 km speed limit is just too fast for this road.
“We have been lobbying for years to get black spot signs and a reduced speed limit.
“All we ever got was signs for concealed entrances.
“We are the second generation of this family in this house and it is so traumatic when here is an accident. When my father-in-law was living here, there was someone killed at our entrance.

 

“My husband and I usually go out with hi-vis jackets when there is an accident and signal to traffic to slow down or stop because we are afraid they go round the corner and cause a pile up.
“It is worse for Margaret, as a nurse, she has to deal with the consequences.
“We constantly worry about visitors coming to the house and leaving is very dangerous.
“If we want to go to Dunboyne, we go in the opposite direction to a lay-by down the road, do a turnaround and come back.
“If we are coming from Maynooth, we go past the house to the roundabout and come back from it. There have been several accidents at our gate and the traffic is getting heavier.”

Tragedy struck three families on that road in the past year.
Ronnie Breen, a 39 year-old father of two lost his life on Wednesday 22nd March. He died when the car he was driving collided with a pole a roundabout on the Maynooth to Dunboyne Road.
He was brought to Our Lady's Hospital Navan, but died from his injuries.
Last July, 42 year old Shane Fleming from Celbridge lost his life following a fatal two car collision on the Dunboyne to Maynooth Road at Castlefarm near Dunboyne.
At Easter last year a motorcyclist in his 40s was killed when his bike was in collision with a truck also on the Maynooth to Dunboyne Road. Rory Smith (45), from Slane was riding his motorbike in the Easter Poker Run when the tragedy struck.
Cllr Damien O'Reilly has called for the road to be re-aligned and trees to be removed on a long term basis, but wants the immediate reduction of the speed limit and large warning flashing signs along the road in the meantime.
“It is very dangerous and very busy, particularly with students travelling to Maynooth and trucks avoiding the M50 toll.
“It is lethal and there will be more deaths if nothing is done. There could be another fatal accident any day now,”he warned.

Ratoath area councillors are due to get a briefing on the situation at their monthly meeting on Wednesday 12th April.