Road safety has become a major area of public debate once again following a year in which 190 people died on Irish roads following 179 fatal road collisions, eight of which were recorded in Carlow and Kilkenny.
During the past hectic holiday month, 18 drink and drug driving offences were detected by Kilkenny Gardaí alone, which suggests that the plea for greater driver responsibility is sadly falling on many deaf ears.
This was one of the main messages driven home by Divisional Roads Policing Inspector Paul Donohoe, who told KCLR News that the force requires additional resources to enhance safety for all road users: Drivers are not getting the message about driving under the influence of drink or drugs
As part of the road safety remedy that’s set to be rolled out locally, a new and free car parking site for those carpooling for work will be piloted on a site in either Carlow or Kilkenny adjacent to the M9, as local TD Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere told KCLR earlier this week: Drivers are not getting the message about driving under the influence of drink or drugs
With both this development and driver behaviour in mind, KCLR News sought out the views of motorists at the busy Paulstown Service Area, just off Exit 7 at the M9, where our first interviewee was Peter Fowler, a well-known County Kilkenny-based caterer.
