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Road Safety
Every week in Ireland, people especially young people are injured or lose their lives at an alarming rate on our roads.
Every week, families of victims of road crashes are left with the devastation of losing loved ones and having to pick up the pieces.
Westmeath County Council is committed to reducing the number of injuries and deaths that are occurring on our roads.
Westmeath County Council recognises that there are many facets involved, and we acknowledge the work of the individual agencies/organisations. We believe that by working together and combining resources we can promote road user safety and reduce the incidence of fatal and serious collisions in County Westmeath.
We currently have in place a Road Safety Working Together Committee which is made up of a wide range of groups and agencies
We also developed a strategy to ensure a co-coordinated, co-operative and consistent approach to improving road safety for all road users. The strategy employed a four pronged attack. The four Elements of this strategy are as follows
- Education- Explaining and teaching road safety to road users
- Engineering- Building roads and vehicles more safely
- Enforcement - Policing those who refuse to behave safely
- Evaluation- What is working or Failing?
The Main Aim of W.C.C. is
‘To promote road safety for all Road Users and help reduce road user fatalities and injuries’
Car Seats & Child Restraints
New EU child safety protection laws have come into force making it compulsory for all children to travel in the correct child seat, booster seat or booster cushion.
Causes Of Accidents
Alcohol is estimated to be a contributory factor in 37% of all fatal crashes (drunk drivers/riders and drunk pedestrians) and a factor in 62% of single vehicle crashes.
Competitions
Westmeath County Council is running a road safety competition in the run up to Christmas this year. The objective of this competition is to raise road safety awareness.
Cyclists
Cycling is a great way to get around and keep fit at the same time. Whether you’re an adult cyclist, a parent, or a young bike rider, it’s important that you are cycling safely.
Pedestrians
Pedestrian deaths account for 1 in 5 deaths on our roads. Walking is a every day activity for most people.Walking ,even recreational walking involves mixing with other pedestrian's cyclists and motorists.
Vehicle Checks
Pedestrian deaths account for 1 in 5 deaths on our roads. Walking is a every day activity for most people.Walking ,even recreational walking involves mixing with other pedestrian's cyclists and motorists.
