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lives lost
"People say that time is a healer, but to be honest it doesn't get any easier" - Remembering Ireland's road victims
188 pictures of people who died in road traffic incidents were set up outside the Dáil this week.
PATRICIA GIBBONS LOST her husband James in a road traffic accident nine years ago, and she still misses him every day.
James died on 17 January 2008 when the lorry he was driving in was collided with head on by another lorry.
He suffered severe injuries in the collision and the died at the scene of the crash. James and Patricia were married just eight months when he died and she was 12 weeks pregnant with their second child.
“My little lad never actually got to meet his dad,” Patricia told TheJournal.ie outside the gates of Leinster House this afternoon.
Patricia has two children – David (8) and Conor (15). She said that life has been very difficult for the family since her husband died.
“People say that time is a healer, but to be honest it doesn’t get any easier,” she said.
Nine years on and I still miss him every day.
Patricia was outside Leinster House today along with other relatives of road victims as members of the Irish Road Victims Association (IRVA), a support network and advocacy group for people who have lost loved ones on the roads.
Vigil
Today is European Day for Victims of Crime and members of the organisation gathered outside Leinster House in a vigil alongside 188 pictures of road traffic victims throughout the years.
The number was the represent the 188 people who died on Ireland’s roads last year.
The purpose of the gathering was to highlight the impact losing a loved one on the roads has on those close to them, and to call for criminal justice reform to implement stronger penalties for road traffic offences.
We’re here to look for justice for road victims and we want road crimes to be treated as other crimes,” said Donna Price, chairperson of IRVA.
We want these crimes to be treated with the priority they deserve. And the sentence imposed should reflect the taking of a life.
IRVA believes sentences handed down to people who are convicted for driving offences that lead to a person being injured or killed should be longer and the penalties stricter than they are now.
“We’re here to highlight that road crimes are real crimes so if you break the rules of the road you are committing a crime and you should expect a penalty,” she said.
Donna lost her own son Darren in 2006 after he was involved in a crash with a lorry.
Darren – who was 18 at the time and a footballer with Westmeath – was on his way to college at Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT) when a lorry collided with his car.
“He set out in the morning for college and he never came home,” said Donna.
We try to raise awareness of the human impact. The fact that these are real people and that these deaths are completely preventable.
Karen Newman was also present outside Leinster house today. She lost her brother Richard after he was involved in a road traffic accident in August 2004.
“We’re here to honour the memory of these people,” she said.
To put a face to these people – it could be you it could be me it could be any member of your family any day of the week.
Campaign
IRVA has campaigned in the past for a number of changes to road traffic rules and regulations.
On Wednesday, members pleaded with drivers to follow all the rules of the road. To avoid driver fatigue, to slow down and to always take care when they drove.
“I hope this promotes a bit of road safety and makes people aware of the effect it has on us standing here,” said Patricia Gibbons.
“It was devastating for me when I lost James.
I’m the mother and father role in the house now. I’ve to do everything.
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