A video showing a car being driven against the flow of motorway traffic has sparked further calls for road safety enforcement following the deadly crash in County Kildare last weekend.
The clip, widely circulated on social media, shows a vehicle speeding in the wrong direction down a busy road. The five-second footage captures the car narrowly missing two oncoming lorries, with the second lorry quickly swerving to prevent a potential collision.
This is one of several alleged joyriding videos that have emerged recently in the wake of a crash last week and Sunday’s tragic head-on collision that resulted in the deaths of five teenagers. Assistant General Secretary of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), Tara McManus, mentioned the clip during her appearance on The Last Word with Matt Cooper, reports Cork Beo.
When questioned about whether social media clips should be used as evidence of criminal activity, she stated: “This morning I saw a video of a car being driven the wrong way down the motorway in Cork, literally only 24 hours after five young men were killed.”
The GRA representative also urged for Gardaí to receive suitable pursuit training to handle such incidents in the future.
The issue was raised with Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan earlier today, who assured that Gardaí would have “whatever resources they require” to tackle this public safety threat.
He said: “I have also spoken to the commissioner today about the legitimate points that were made by the GRA in respect of pursuit training.
“The commissioner again emphasised that he is going to introduce pursuit training into An Garda Síochána and he will be the first commissioner to do that.”
The Minister also revealed that legislation is being drafted to bolster the protections for Gardaí during pursuits, and to establish a new offence for individuals who intentionally drive in the wrong direction on the motorway.