Opinion

Terrible period on Irish roads

It has been a tragic period on Ireland's roads by any standards, with six people, including two toddlers and two teenagers, dying in the space of barely 48 hours.

A three year old boy was killed with his father in a collision outside Limerick yesterday morning, while a cyclist in his 60s was fatally injured on the main Belfast to Bangor road a matter of hours earlier.

Ronan McGavigan (2) died after being struck by a car in the Brandywell area of Derry city on Sunday, and on the same day a 13-year-old boy in Co Wicklow and an 18-year-old man in Co Longford also lost their lives in accidents.

There are no indications of any common factors in the fatalities, but, with holiday traffic likely to be increased during the spell of fine weather, it is essential that all road users are fully aware of the risks they face in the course of every journey.