Number Of Children Killed On Ireland's Roads Triples

The number of children killed on roads in Ireland tripled last year, new figures from the RSA have revealed.

In addition, road traffic collisions account for 36.7% of all child deaths, with road deaths being the leading cause of child mortality in the country. The figures have been released at the RSA's Annual International Road Safety Conference in Dublin.

Last year, 14 children, under the age of 15, died on Ireland's roads. Of these, seven were passengers and seven were pedestrians.

The RSA added that child fatalities have decreased by 89% and serious injuries by 75%, from 1997 to 2012, when a total of 262 children were killed and 1,115 seriously injured in that period. They found that just under half of all children who die do so while walking and almost two out of five children killed are passengers; Garda reports into collisions also indicate that one in 10 children were not wearing a seatbelt or using a child restraint.

Speaking ahead of the conference, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Paschal Donohoe TD, said: "Today's conference is an important step in changing the very worrying upward trend in child injuries and deaths on our roads. Children are our most vulnerable road users, and it is up to all of us to safeguard them on our roads.

"This conference provides an important platform to share international best practice on protecting children as passengers, pedestrians and cyclists on our roads. But more than that, the findings from today's conference will inform policy and decision making at Government level."

Liz O'Donnell, Chairperson, RSA, added: "We shockingly saw almost triple the number of child deaths on our roads last year. We can now either watch this trend continue, or we can collectively take action; to make sure no more children's lives are lost on our roads this year or any year. A seemingly daunting task, but certainly possible when we work together."

(JP/MH)