Wednesday news Ireland update by Donie

Drop of more than 33% in car-related child deaths and injuries – survey says

       

FEWER children are being killed or injured as a result of road accidents, a study has revealed.

Research shows a drop of more than a third in car-related child deaths and injuries between two four-year periods recorded over the last 12 years.

The study, by Temple Street Children’s Hospital and the Road Safety Authority, looked at collisions involving boys and girlsunder the age of 15 years reported to the Garda between 1996 and 2000 and between 2004 and 2008.

When the results were compared, it showed a 36pc decrease – from 5,928 during the first period to 3,659 in the second – in the number of children injured or killed on public roads.

Researchers said the most significant drop was in cycling injuries.

There was a 76pc decrease in the number of deaths involving children who were cycling at the time.

Injuries involving children cycling were also down 68pc.

In contrast to previous years, none of the child cycling deaths during the 12-year period involved children under the age of 10.

In only two confirmed cases were the children wearing helmets, and both of those suffered minor injuries.

Professor Alf Nicholson, consultant paediatrician at Temple Street, credited recent road safety measures for the drop-off in deaths and injuries.

“The findings are hugely positive and there is no doubt that policy changes and concerted publicity campaigns in the intervening period have had a significant impact,” he said.

“It is vital that this safety message continues, however, with an emphasis on use of bicycle helmets and proper child restraints.”

The study also found that the number of children killed while a car passenger fell by 38pc from 69 to 44.

Most of the children involved were travelling in the back seat of the car at the time.

But the researchers warned a large number of children continue to travel in the front car seat.

There were 1,232 children injured while walking along public roads between 2004 and 2008 – more than a third (34pc) of all road injuries during that period.

Of these, 32 were deaths, 129 were serious injuries and 1,071 were minor injuries, the study shows.

When the two time periods were compared, deaths of child pedestrians had fallen by 48pc and serious injuries had dropped by a half.

Limerick 2 year old tot recovering in hospital after family pet dog attack

   

Brave mum Mags O Leary who saved her two year-old son Reece, after he was attacked by their dog a husky like the one above left.

A two-year-old Limerick boy is being treated in hospital after he was attacked by a husky dog last night.

The attack happened at the boy’s home in the city when the family pet set upon the toddler without warning.

The dog, a Husky, was taken away to be destroyed by dog wardens.

A neighbour of the family, 21-year-old Jonathan Curtin, has been hailed a hero after jumping a wall and beating the dog off the child with a shovel.

Gardaí said that if it had not been for his quick reactions the child may have died.

Mr Curtin said the boy was like a rag doll in the dog’s mouth.
The boy is being treated in Cork University Hospital.

Garda Commissioner says the force is not short of armed officers

             

Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan has rejected claims there are insufficient numbers of armed officers in the force.Around 3,500 gardaí, mainly detectives, are currently authorised to use and carry weapons but middle-ranking officers want more firearm licences to be issued.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors (AGSI) will debate a motion on the issue this afternoon on the final day of its annual conference in Co Wexford.

However Commissioner Callinan is dismissing the call.

“We now have regional response units in place,” he said.

“They have to a large extent taken over from some of the more conventional methods that we used in the past.

“I want to dispel any notion that detectives are going around without guns – that’s not the case and it won’t be the case.

“What we are talking about here is an examination of uniformed officers who are obliged from time to time to carry guns, in plain clothes.”

Nessa Childers calls for Padraig Flynn to lose EU pension

     

The European Commission has said it will not take action against former Fianna Fáil TD and Commissioner Padraig Flynn unless he is found guilty in a criminal court.

The decision was confirmed in a letter to Labour MEP Nessa Childers, which has been seen by RTÉ News.

Commissioner Maros Sefcovic said that the findings of the Mahon Tribunal "do not represent the verdict of a court after due process".

However, the Commissioner said that any action taken by the Criminal Assets Bureau resulting in a prosecution "will be an important element to be taken into account", if Brussels decides to take further action.

Ms Childers has argued that the Mahon Tribunal indicates that Mr Flynn was guilty of wrongdoing that should trigger court action at EU level under EU treaty rules.

She said it should result in Mr Flynn losing his Commission pension.

In particular, Ms Childers said the rule requiring Commissioners to behave with "integrity and discretion" during and after their terms of office may have been breached by Mr Flynn.

She cited findings from the Mahon report that accuse Mr Flynn of falsely contriving documents in 1998, giving false testimony in 2004-06 and evading tax.

"Padraig Flynn has disgraced Ireland's good name in Europe," Ms Childers said in a statement this afternoon.

"He should no longer receive his sizable pension from the European Commission.

“He was found to have taken corrupt payments before he was Commissioner, falsified documents while he was a Commissioner and made false statements to the Tribunal after he was Commissioner."

The letter from Commissioner Sefcovic acknowledged that the issue was "a matter for serious concern" and that there was "widespread anger among Irish citizens".

The Commissioner wrote that he had also received several letters and emails from Ireland about the matter.