Road safety

Road collisions cause immense human suffering. In the years 2000-2004, 54 people lost their lives and 1371 were seriously injured in Co.Mayo.

The average number of road deaths in Co.Mayo over the five-year period of 2000-2004 is 10.4. In line with government policy Mayo,s road safety strategy aims to further reduce the number of road fatalities and serious injuries in Co.Mayo by the end of 2011.

Campaigns

Mayo County Council promotes the Road Safety Authorities national road safety publicity at a local level. Campaigns include: drink-drive, driver tiredness, drug-drive, seat belts, mobile phones, motorcycling, child safety, and speeding. A variety of publicity media is used and may include leaflets, posters, press advertising, radio commercials, displays, events, competitions, and promotional material.

Mission Statement / Objective of Roadsafety working together Group

To reduce the number and severity of traffic accidents on the roads in Co. Mayo 

Goals

·        Education of the public with increased awareness and involvement.

·        Enforcement of current traffic laws.

·        Engineering improvement of the road network for all road users.

·        Co-operation to be increased between all relevant agencies.

The main causes of incidents resulting in death and injury remain the same and include:

• Excessive and inappropriate speed
• Driving while intoxicated, whether through drugs or alcohol
• Failure to wear seatbelts and failure of parents to restrain their children properly
• Failure to recognise vulnerable road users
• Pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists fail to recognise their vulnerability and to ensure they can be seen by others when using roads
• Driver fatigue

Winter Maintenance

Local Authorities in general, and Mayo County Council in particular, have a major role to play in road safety.  In addition to safer roads being provided through road improvement and restoration schemes, the Council has completed a number of accident reduction schemes and traffic calming schemes in recent years
One of the vital services provided by the Roads Section of the Council in the area of road safety is winter maintenance.  Principally this involves precautionary salting of roads when frost is expected and clearing the roads of snow in times of significant snowfall.  This is a task carried out by a dedicated workforce in, by definition, severe conditions and usually in unsociable hours.  The management of winter maintenance is now helped by modern technology.  For example, the duty Engineer consults, at intervals through the night, thermal maps being produced by MET Éireann and, in conjunction with assessing other parameters, can direct field operatives to the vulnerable road sites.