Limerick sergeant’s road safety message ahead of bank holiday
There have been three road fatalities in Limerick so far in 2024
GARDAI in Limerick are urging all road users to exercise caution ahead of the busy June Bank Holiday weekend as 79 families have already lost loved ones so far this year in Ireland.
There have been three road fatalities in Limerick so far in 2024.. Sergeant Kevin Balfe, an advanced trained motorcyclist attached to the Limerick Divisional Roads Policing Unit, identifies a special sector at risk in those statistics.
He says motorbikes make up 1.5% of vehicles but account for almost 13% of fatalities (10 motorcyclists nationally have lost their lives so far in 2024).
“Last year, it was 26 people killed on motorbikes out of the total of 184. May through to September is when you see a rise in fatalities for motorcyclists because of the nice weather to go off for drives. Unfortunately, the most at risk groups are males aged between 21 to 25 and from early 40's to 65.
“One of the things we have noticed is lads that would have done biking back in their late teens or early twenties, then, as they get older, the kids have grown up and they decide to go back into bikes,” said Sgt Balfe.
He continues: “A lot of the bikes that are out there at the moment have a lot more power than 20 or 30 years ago. They get up on the bike and all of a sudden they're going an awful lot faster than they realise or they think. They can end up getting involved in accidents and some of them, unfortunately, can be fatalities. Saturday and Sunday would be probably the worst days for motorcycle fatalities.” Visibility and safety are his two messages for all road users ahead of the bank holiday.
“People are going to be out and about more than normal this weekend as the weather forecast is good and all we want is for everybody to get home safely. It stops us having to go to collisions or fatal accidents and I've been to too many of them already this year,” he said.
Sgt Balfe encourages motorbike riders to continue to do training courses long after they have got their full licence.
“Getting your licence is just the start of the learning curve,” he said. Sgt Balfe appeals to both motorbike and car / lorry drivers to be cognisant of other road users.
“A tip between two cars can be just that, a tip, but if you hit a bike, there can be very serious consequences for the rider of the bike. Bike riders are more vulnerable on the road,” said Sgt Balfe, who gives an example of when he is out on bike patrol.
“I have to be very aware of what other people are doing. I’m looking as far ahead of as I possibly can to see what is going on up there, what are the scenarios, how can I drive defensively that is going to keep me safe,” said Sgt Balfe. He concludes by saying if an incident occurs where a car driver may be in the wrong and a bike driver is in the right then “squeeze the brake and ease off on the throttle”.
“There's no point a motorcyclist lying on the road because 'you were in the right’. Just say, ‘We give way here and we get home safe’.”