These five counties have the highest percentage of road accidents caused by excessive speed

Excessive speed was a factor in 322 road deaths in Ireland between 2008 and 2012.

A new report from the Road Safety Authority (RSA), has revealed a number of statistics surrounding road deaths in Ireland between 2008 and 2012. Amongst the findings in the report, it was revealed that 983 fatal collisions claimed the lives of 1,077 people in Ireland during that period and that excessive speed was a factor in 322 of those deaths. The report, the second in a series of landmark reports by An Garda Síochána Forensic Collision Investigation, sought to identify the main contributory factors in collisions on Irish roads. It was launched at the RSA’s Annual International Road Safety Conference on Thursday, just in time for the May Bank Holiday weekend. The report revealed that the counties where speed featured most as a contributory factor in collisions were Donegal (8.4%), Cork (8%), Wexford (8%), Cavan (7%) and Galway (7%) and that 91% of culpable drivers in speed-related collisions were male. Furthermore, over half of the drivers, both male and female, involved in speed-related collisions were aged between 16 and 24. 84% of drivers involved in a single vehicle collision were under 34 years of age and one third had no record of insurance at the time of the collision. Speaking at the conference on Thursday, Liz O’Donnell, RSA Chairperson said: “Previous research based on preliminary Garda crash scene reports estimated that excessive speed was a factor in 15% of fatal collisions. “The report published today, using data from An Garda Síochána Forensic Investigation Files, shows that excessive speed plays a more significant role in collisions on our roads, accounting for one in three fatal collisions analysed between 2008 and 2012. “The faster you drive, the more likely you are to kill or seriously injure yourself or someone else if you are involved in a collision. Slow down – drive at a speed that is appropriate to the conditions and your experience, and remember a speed limit is not a target.”