More people died on Irish roads in 2019 than in 2018, the Road Safety Authority has revealed.

The number of road deaths for the past 12 months was 148 which represents a 4% increase on the year before when 142 people lost their lives in crashes.

The year before last, 2018, was the safest on Irish roads since records began.

The RSA say there was a “worrying” increase in the number of drivers who died on Irish roads this past year (25 more than 2018), however on a positive note pedestrian and passenger fatalities have fallen over the same period.

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Christmas Opening Hours at GMHD.ie

The Road Safety Authority (RSA) and An Garda Síochána have urged parents to not give their children quad bikes for Christmas.

Provisional statistics from the RSA show that there were 50 people killed or injured in collisions involving a quadbike or scrambler on a public road in recent years.

48% of those involved in the incidents were aged 18 or younger.

“It saddens me that we have to again remind parents and guardians of the risks that quad bikes and scramblers pose to children,” RSA Chief Executive Moyagh Murdock said.

“These are vehicles inte...

Insurance News: Referendum on the cards if Fine Gael reforms fail

The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has discussed the prospect of holding a referendum to cap insurance payouts.

According to the Irish Independent, Mr Varadkar raised the possibility at a recent Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, although such a referendum would only happen as a last resort if the government’s insurance reforms do not work.

A number of TDs spoke out on the issue at the meeting on Wednesday night.

Criticising those who take out unjustified personal injury cla...

Winter Warning: Don’t leave these items in your car

The weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful, and since we’ve no place to go… You might need to take some extra measures to make sure your personal belongings stay safe and in proper working order. Leaving things in your car isn’t normally a problem in mild weather but when it’s extremely cold outside, certain devices and products may be seriously damaged. Here’s a list of things you shouldn’t leave in your vehicle in freezing weather.

Keys

This is more an issue of safety than ...

So-called “ghost brokers” have provided fraudulent insurance policies to thousands of unsuspecting Irish motorists, Aviva Insurance has revealed.

Aviva’s fraud manager Robert Smyth says that his team has identified 10 illegal ghost brokers linked to between 1,000 and 1,500 invalid policies. Young drivers and foreign nationals are the most likely to be targeted with the fraudsters enticing unsuspecting victims with cheap but ostensibly legitimate policies.

Ghost brokers buy insurance policies from legitimate companies using relevant information provided ...

How did your Christmas shopping go last year? Enjoyable? Bearable? Or stressful beyond belief? Many of us are guilty of leaving it until the very last minute, when the pressure is on and the shops are at their busiest. This year, why not try a different approach?

If you want to get your shopping done early, here are some pointers.

Make your list and check it twice

Hey, it works for Santa Claus. Sit down and decide who you want to buy presents for. Has anyone been particularly naughty or nice in 2019? Is there a new person in your life deser...

This Sunday, all those injured or killed on our roads will be commemorated as part of the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims.

Tragically, 24,390 people (roughly the population of Tralee) have died in fatal crashes in Ireland since records began in 1959. Over 80,000 people have been seriously injured on Irish roads since in 1977. So far in 2019, a total of 125 people have lost their lives on our raods.

World Day of Remembrance provides an opportunity to draw the public’s attention to the impact of road crashes. The Road Safety Authority will b...

Irish road users are involved in an accident of some kind once every five years. Whether these incidents are minor scrapes or more serious in nature, it’s extremely important that we know what to do if one occurs.

1. Naturally, the health and safety of everyone involved is of the utmost importance when an accident occurs. If necessary, call an ambulance.
2. Keep all vehicles in the same position. As the site of the incident is a potential crime scene, it’s your legal obligation to leave everything as it is until otherwise inst...