Why Does Donegal Have So Many Fatal Road Accidents?

Straight Talker

This is going back well over twenty years i'd say, but to me anyway Donegal seems to have more fatal road traffic accidents than any other county. I guess the roads are pretty bad and dangerous up there. Obviously these things happen in other counties as well, but to me anyway it seems to happen more often in Donegal for some reason.

retalivity

Bad roads, bad drivers, crap cars.

But statistically, its not the worst in the country, I remember something a year or 2 back with the breakdown of deaths per county and Donegal was 4th or 5th. But a lot of the higher profile multi-death accidents are in Donegal.

Tails142

Having driven some of the roads up that way, you could think you are on a roller coaster track at times.

Loafing Oaf

Huge sparsely populated county with no railway, everyone has to drive to get anywhere...

Rikand

Anything away from the main roads is horrendous

p15574

I think this is the road\location where the latest incident occurred - looks perfectly fine to me. I'm not commenting on this issue, but in general, I think speed and overestimation of driving skills is likely to be the cause of most collisions.

dxhound2005

Recency bias. As has been pointed out, Donegal is not the worst.

AyeGer

Traffic cops are virtually nonexistent in Donegal. Speed vans are about but that’s it.

For a county as sparsely populated there is always a lot of cars on the road, many seem to be in an awful rush to get where they are going. Also many northern drivers come out and drive at whatever speed they like it seems.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338568#Comment_121338568

A lot like the crazy southern reg drivers once they cross the border racing to Asda in Enniskillen or Sainsburys in Newry. In an awful rush for the wine and baked beans.

Donegal has no public transport, few guards, little to do for young people. Too much speed, poorer roads off the main roads. I'd say that sums it up.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338556#Comment_121338556

There's been quite a few of these road accidents, where more than one young person was killed in Donegal over the years. That same poster did say that there does seem to be more of those kind of accidents in Donegal over the years, in comparison to other parts of Ireland as well.

SuperBowserWorld

These are always horrible, incomprehensible, often preventable tragic deaths, but even more so when the tragedy goes on from generation to generation. There are rules of the road for a reason, but we don't seem to get that. I feel really sorry for the innocent people who suffer here. Also, we've become so numb, that deaths have to occur for a news story. There are many many more people destroyed for life due to road accidents.

Quitelife

People on phones is a big problem and it’s all over the country not just ringing people but responding to what’s app messages , Googling stuff etc etc .

All the closed and downgraded garda stations in rural ireland have lead to chances of been caught for been on your phone bordering on zero

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338658#Comment_121338658

Good point now this wasn't the case here, but something similar to what you described above happened in Australia. It was some young people live streaming some stupid stunt on WhatsApp.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338637#Comment_121338637

The actual number of fatalities from 2016 to 2022 inclusive in Donegal is 10,6,10,8,10,7,8.

If the OP is going back over twenty years in their recollection, it has to be prompted by recency bias because of the latest tragic accident.

Furze99

When I've driven there over last decade, always left it with a distinct feeling of 'boy racer' culture. Get away with it a lot as roads haven't as much traffic but seen some ridiculous risk taking.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338740#Comment_121338740

Yes it is the most recent multi fatality accident and the many more that happened before that as well over the years. It seems to me anyway to happen more often in Donegal in comparison to other counties. Whether it's the roads or some sort of boy racing culture or what, but Donegal to me anyway seems to be a county that's synonymous with fatal road traffic accidents.

AyeGer

I would suspect risk taking is a significant contributor to serous crashes in Donegal. I have had some bad experiences on the roads in Donegal. Some of the boy racer types seem genuinely affronted if you over take them or if you don’t move aside while they race up behind seeking to overtake. I’ve seen cars overtaking round corners forcing on coming motorists onto the hard shoulder regularly. It’s particularly bad on that road from Derry to Letterkenny, through Ballybofey, Donegal town and on towards Sligo.

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338492#Comment_121338492

Dont tell Eamon Ryan!

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338780#Comment_121338780

Of those 59 deaths in 7 years, 43 were in cars. An average of 6 deaths per year does not add up to a spate of multi fatality accidents.

Donegal has poor roads and must drive long distances to get anywhere on these poor roads. Medical assistance in the case of collisions is much further away. And still is only the 4th or 5th worst in terms of road fatalities. Looks like Donegal drivers are much better than the statistics show.

Take out the deaths caused by the foolish boy racer culture late at night leaves a far lower count and shows the average Donegal motorist to be extremely capable indeed in dealing with the challenges driving there.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338818#Comment_121338818

It used to be just young fellas/boy racers. Now it's everyone, young and old. It's as likely be a granny on two wheels in her Qashqai whilst posting on twitter. But that's not a donegal problem, country wide.

ednwireland

typical car deaths all over btu no the starts a thread when theres one in donegal, i drive all over and its no worse here, to be honest i think the standard of driving is worse in dublin. that section of road is bad by all accounts

https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/this-isnt-a-setback-its-a-huge-increase-10-counties-see-road-tragedies-match-or-exceed-death-toll-for-all-of-last-year-in-just-nine-months/a657298084.html

Poitín, lack of Gardai, “acceptance”, “border culture”, hills and hidey holes, winding roads (although these can actually focus drivers if they are winding enough), hills, road games, slippery weather, “heroes cult” re young people who died, years of being near Derry area where an amount of lawlessness was part of life.

timmyntc

Statistics do not back up the idea - its just your own bias OP that donegal people are worse drivers hence all the road deaths. In reality they are not the worst despite arguably the worst roads nationwide.

standardg60

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338658#Comment_121338658

No one's going to catch anyone on the phone sitting in a Garda station.

Another factor is that a road journey up to Donegal from, say Dublin area, is tiresome as there’s on a bit of motorway that will take you to Navan or so; there have been a few accidents relating to people being tired driving up there at night, and often the final 20km or more is made on treacherous roads at night.

circadian

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338956#Comment_121338956

Anyone heading to Inishowen or letter Kenny would most likely take the Belfast route or possibly via monaghan which is trickier from Aughnacloy to Derry. Agreed about the tiredness though.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338931#Comment_121338931

In my opinion the worst county in Ireland in terms of road traffic accidents is Donegal. It's nothing to do with bias it's a number of accumulated incidents over the years. I have nothing against Donegal people, it's just that i think it's a county with a very tragic/misfortunate history in terms of road traffic accidents.

timmyntc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339191#Comment_121339191

In my opinion the worst county in Ireland in terms of road traffic accidents is Donegal. 

Yes exactly, it is an opinion, nothing more.

The facts do not support your opinion

Straight Talker

Here's an Irish Times article from 2019.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/number-of-multi-death-crashes-in-donegal-staggering-says-ross-1.3775154

Here's another Irish Times article from 2018 as well.

https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/dangerous-driving-in-donegal-it-is-a-long-standing-culture-1.3569240

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339257#Comment_121339257

Did you read those Irish Times links i shared? There seems to be a growing consensus that Donegal suffers from an extreme boy racing culture. Throw dangerous roads into the mix and you do have a recipe for disaster sadly.

EmmetSpiceland

For me, a lot of road traffic accidents, and deaths, on country roads, not just Donegal, is the attitude of some country people that they “know the roads”.

This means they can travels over 80kmph on skinny, windy, roads and nothing will happen. Unfortunately, “knowing the roads” doesn’t seem to cover unexpected pedestrians, slippery surfaces due to leaves, or oil, and whatever other factors that aren’t the direction of the road.

galwayguy85

What I also find somewhat incredible here is that the young fella was returning home from a late shift AND would've been getting up the following morning to study for his Leaving Cert? Late shifts at the weekend etc makes total sense, but not in the middle of a school week.

Reading between the lines, we can assume he was the driver and was at fault. There are no gushing praises online for him (unlike his passenger). All very tragic.

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339349#Comment_121339349

They are behind a paywall for me. But I got the deatails of the accident where four were killed from the Independent. Just four more were killed in Donegal in 2019. It is taking an untypical example to try to prove a point which does not hold up to scrutiny. The two factors there were drink and speed, very excessive speed.

Before the general attitude to drink driving in the country turned against the idea, there was horrible carnage on our roads. And this was mostly in the days of no phones in cars.

Road deaths in Ireland:

1962 339. 1972 640.

1982 533. 1992 415.

2002 376. 2012 163. 2022 156.

https://www.independent.ie/regionals/herald/terrible-tragedy-speeds-of-120kph-led-to-deaths-of-four-friends-in-donegal-crash/39828052.html#:~:text=Stephen%20Maguire,20%3A42

"The court was told that all four men were intoxicated.

Forensic Collision Investigator, Garda Gerard McCauley gave a report on what caused the crash. He told how measurements indicated that the car was traveling at a speed of 120kph on a road governed by an 80kph speed limit."

hoodie6029

Lots of one off houses so the only way to get around is to drive. Young people have to drive if they want to stay around.

The more you drive, the more the risk of an accident increases.

Mayo and Donegal, similar demographics have similar road deaths over the last 10 years.

This will be controversial but the cost of insurance is too low for young people. Other costs are higher than they were 20 years ago when I was young and trying to get on the road. €2,000 minimum for insurance back then. It’s much lower now which is lower again in real terms due to inflation. Parents have now money than ours had too (smaller family size, bigger incomes) so can help out with these costs.

Iodine1

Night time, bad weather, inexperienced drivers, boy racing, phones, lowered cars, cut springs, tiredness, bad roads, speed etc all contribute to various accidents and in most cases it will be a combination of a few factors. Its not simple.

Montage of Feck

So we let the insurance companies rip off people to improve road safety. I don't see the connection.

Kav_Piero

Spent a couple of days driving around Donegal a few years ago and just found the whole experience a bit uncomfortable to be honest.

Have travelled on plenty of country roads over the years but never witnessed such reckless driving before, everyone always seems to be in hurry - speeding while approaching sharp bends, tailgating, outright dangerous overtaking etc.

Bad roads and few Garda.

It's very easy to misjudge a corner when every road is windy.

Arse end of nowhere that gets no love.

magicbastarder

Spent a couple of nights in carndonagh a year or two ago. Could barely sleep one of the nights with the sound of revving engines, there was essentially an informal car rally in the town, shedloads of boy racers shithousing their cars through the town. I remember as a kid when staying with relatives there in the 80s, being woken at night by lads doing doughnuts or whatever in the town too.

magicbastarder

https://www.rte.ie/radio/doconone/806861-we-decide-who-lives-or-dies

...

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121338637#Comment_121338637

Cork has a much worse record, and a love for drink driving and donuts at the crossroads, but somehow Donegal seems to stick in people's minds

dxhound2005

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339707#Comment_121339707

They should have made the programme about the county at the top, not near the top.

The J Stands for Jay

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339191#Comment_121339191

In my opinion ...... It's nothing to do with bias

Yeah, good one.

magicbastarder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339718#Comment_121339718

There have been several cases of five or more fatalities in a single incident in the last 15 years or so in Donegal - at least three IIRC, and one of those had eight deaths. I don't think any other county has suffered that sort of toll?

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339718#Comment_121339718

Cork isn't too far behind alright. The road from Cork to Limerick is very bad in parts as well.

Straight Talker

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339733#Comment_121339733

I just stated my opinion. You don't like it that's fair enough, but how about bringing more than inane one liners to the table eh?

The J Stands for Jay

I hardly think pointing out logical fallacies is inane.

Akrasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339758#Comment_121339758

In my opinion, at least some of the road deaths in Donegal are caused by stray sheep wandering onto the roads.

I have zero evidence of this, so my opinion should not be taken seriously by anyone

The J Stands for Jay

IMG_20170614_124351489.jpg

Newspaper article from 2017

FishOnABike

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121339718#Comment_121339718

Comparing populations, Cork has roughly three and a half times the population of Donegal so proportionatly Cork's number of road traffic deaths is lower.