A weekend of heartbreak on our roads
Another young life taken too soon..
It was a weekend of tragedy on our roads. One young life cut short – another young man in a critical condition in hospital. Each year, the statistics make for harrowing reading; behind each and every one of those stats is a heartbroken family, a community crushed.
In 2022, a total of 55 people lost their lives on Northern Ireland’s roads – up five on the previous year. Each one, one too many!
Sadly at the weekend a young man from Portadown became the 16th fatality on our roads this year – the first officially recorded in the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon area. However, the tragic death of Lurgan baby, Frank Michael Gracey McIlduff, occurred when the pram he was being pushed in by his grandmother, Pauline, was struck by a lorry on Meeting Street in Moira – in the Lisburn and Castlereagh district.
To date, Newry Mourne and Down and Mid Ulster districts have each recorded two tragedies.
Source: PSNI
Related: Funeral details for tragic Portadown teen knocked down in weekend collision
More needs to be done to reduce the number of road deaths across the borough and beyond - but what’s the answer? Do we need stricter enforcement of traffic laws, more traffic calming measures in residential areas, and increased investment in road maintenance and infrastructure improvements?
Related: Man critical following single-vehicle collision outside Armagh
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Previous issues:
A few clicks could save a little boy's life..
It would appear Lurgan has gone to pot!
What if Armagh Gaol was to be flattened to make way for free car park?
The driving standards on the road is appalling. Too fast and too many people in a hurry to go nowhere. Slow down, drive with curtesy and stop the manic tail gaiting along with the incessant need to overtake. Too many young drivers with poor experience in fast cars sitting low down in the seats barely able to see out. Too many aggressive female drivers too and the speeding in ridiculous. We need more speed cameras, random speed vans and the police to take bad driving seriously!