Why Does Donegal Have So Many Fatal Road Accidents?

Straight Talker · 07-11-2023 07:43PM #1

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 · 07-11-2023 07:51PM

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 · 07-11-2023 07:52PM

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

Loafing Oaf · 07-11-2023 07:54PM

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

Rikand · 07-11-2023 07:54PM

Anything away from the main roads is horrendous

p15574 · 07-11-2023 07:57PM

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 · 07-11-2023 08:11PM

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

AyeGer · 07-11-2023 08:14PM

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.

07-11-2023 08:22PM

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 · 07-11-2023 08:30PM

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 · 07-11-2023 08:33PM

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 · 07-11-2023 08:35PM

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 · 07-11-2023 08:42PM

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 · 07-11-2023 08:54PM

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 · 07-11-2023 08:57PM

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 · 07-11-2023 09:01PM

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 · 07-11-2023 09:10PM

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 · 07-11-2023 09:12PM

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

Dont tell Eamon Ryan!

dxhound2005 · 07-11-2023 09:15PM

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.

07-11-2023 09:24PM

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.

07-11-2023 09:25PM

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 · 07-11-2023 09:27PM

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

07-11-2023 09:31PM

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 · 07-11-2023 09:31PM

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 · 07-11-2023 09:31PM

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

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

07-11-2023 09:36PM

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 · 07-11-2023 10:03PM

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 · 07-11-2023 10:21PM

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 · 07-11-2023 10:31PM

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 · 07-11-2023 10:34PM

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 · 07-11-2023 10:45PM

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.

Why Does Donegal Have So Many Fatal Road Accidents?

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