Report shows midlands" roads most dangerous

Offaly roads and the Midlands in general have the some of the most dangerous roads in Ireland, according to the latest figures compiled by the Road Safety Authority. Offaly experienced the sixth highest number of collisions per population during 2007, according to the 'Road Collision Facts' report released on Monday. There were 1.8 collisions for every 1,000 people in the county that year, a figure which was matched by four other counties and was higher in Longford and Westmeath, but lower in Laois, which stood at 1.6 collisions for every 1,000 people in the county. The Offaly figure increased to 3.2 collisions per 1,000 registered vehicles. In 2003, there were seven people killed as a result of road traffic accidents in Offaly. The death toll increased to nine in 2006 and dropped by almost half in 2007 to five fatalities. However, 188 people were injured in 2007, the highest number within those five years. There were also five people killed on Laois roads during 2007. In the Laois/Offaly garda division, there was a total of 11 deaths and 89 injuries as a result of road collisions, while in the casualties figures, there were 13 people killed and 146 people injured the same year. Nobody was killed in a road traffic accident within the town boundaries of Tullamore, Edenderry or Birr during 2007. According to the RSA report, over one third of all fatal collisions in 2007 were caused by single vehicle collisions. This type of collision is most probably associated with a number of factors, including excessive speed, fatigue and alcohol or drug consumption. Head-on collisions accounted for 14 per cent of fatalities, while 26% of all fatalities involved pedestrians. The worst month for fatalities in 2007 was December when 38 people died in 36 collisions, while May had the fewest amount of fatalities. The worst days of the week for road deaths that year were Saturday, Sunday and Thursday, while Wednesday had the lowest number of deaths.