Dramatic fall in road deaths

A dramatic drop in the number of deaths on Meath roads - down by 43 per cent in a year - has been heralded this week as the result of an intensive road safety plan put into effect by Meath County Council. The number of fatalities in the county last year totalled eight, the lowest in 52 years, an outcome which has been welcomed by Meath County Manager Tom Dowling who said that it gave a huge impetus to council staff who were endeavouring the make the county"s roads safer for all users. The reduction in road deaths nationally has been 20 per cent, making the figure for Meath all the more impressive. The council has also announced that a new road safety plan will be introduced when the present plan runs out at the end of 2009. The downward trend in road fatalities has been evident over a number of years. Fourteen people died in accidents in 2007, itself a drop of 30 per cent on 2006 when a total of 20 people died. For the previous four years to 2006, there was an average of 21 fatalities per year. Meath County Council Road Safety Officer Michael Finnegan said it was tragic that eight people had lost their lives in road accidents in the county in 2008. However, he said that continuing work by the council in implementing its Road Safety Plan 2007-2009 was giving favourable results. This work would intensify in the last year of the plan this year, he promised.