Donegal Daily
  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Politics
  • Features
  • Donegal County Council News
Monday 17°CTuesday 17°C

Donegal Daily Donegal Daily

sponsor banner
sponsor banner
  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Politics
  • Features
  • Donegal County Council News
News

Critical responders plead with drivers to slow down this Bank Holiday

written by Staff Writer August 1, 2024
FacebookTweetLinkedInPrint

The Emergency Medical Response charity CRITICAL is urging people to slow down and avoid distractions when taking to the roads this Bank Holiday weekend.  

It comes as CRITICAL, which has volunteer groups across the country, reveals that responders have been tasked to 270 Road Traffic Collisions in fourteen months.

These range from collisions between cars, cars and pedestrians and cars and e-scooters.

Dr Gerry Lane (pictured) is the Volunteer Emergency Medical Responder for Donegal, having joined the charity following his retirement from Letterkenny University Hospital. Dr Lane has been a prominent road safety campaigner for many years.

CRITICAL is Ireland’s leading Volunteer Emergency Medical Response charity and its mission is to save lives through a network of volunteer emergency medical responders. They are tasked by the National Ambulance Service to respond to emergency 999 calls in their local area. As they are living or working close by, volunteers can get to a patient quickly to provide medical care while an ambulance is on the way.

Dr Mark Ruddy, who previously worked as a flying doctor in Australia, is a GP in South Wicklow and has been responding for CRITICAL since September 2022. He says CRITICAL volunteers see speed and distraction as the main causes of road crashes and he’s urging people to be cautious on the roads across the busy August Bank Holiday weekend.

Dr Mark Ruddy

“You might be the best and safest driver on the road, however you can’t account for others.  Slowing down and not being distracted allows you to react to the mistakes of others.  While motorways are relatively safe, the majority of fatal accidents seem to be occurring on backroads or single lane national roads.  Vulnerable road users such as motorcyclists and cyclists are making up a disproportionately high number of injuries.”

CRITICAL responders receive extensive training but Dr Ruddy says the impact of a Road Traffic Collision can be tough on everyone involved.

“The suddenness of a Road Traffic Collision is what affects me.  People are doing normal things, living their life and things can change dramatically in an instance.  We know that advanced level care as soon as possible can improve outcomes and reduce mortality and significant disability and that is what we strive for.  Young people make up the highest proportion of road deaths which is very sad.”

David Tighe, CEO of CRITICAL explains why a rapid response is so important: “The first 60 minutes after the onset of serious illness or trauma is known as ‘The Golden Hour’ because this time is crucial to a patient’s chances of survival.  A rapid emergency response can mean the difference between life and death, and is also vital in protecting the patient’s quality of life and recovery from a sudden illness or trauma.”

CRITICAL Volunteers respond to 999/112 calls for patients who suffer from serious medical issues like cardiac arrest, stroke, choking, and seizures, or serious traumas like road, farming, school and workplace accidents, and falls.

If you would like to get involved, or to make a donation to CRITICAL, please visit: https://criticalcharity.ie/ or call 021 4190 999.

Critical responders plead with drivers to slow down this Bank Holiday was last modified: July 31st, 2024 by Staff Writer
FacebookTweetLinkedInPrint

Tags:
road safety
Staff Writer

LEAVE A COMMENT

You may also like

Raphoe man Harte scoops major Public Relations...

2 minutes ago

Government failures saddling ordinary people with rip-off...

32 minutes ago

Letterkenny’s Sally Murphy appointed President of the...

3 hours ago

HSE to redesign bedrooms at Ramelton Community...

4 hours ago

Exciting summer camps launched by Spraoi agus...

5 hours ago

Letterkenny Chamber ‘more than disappointed’ as A5...

5 hours ago

Muff man involved in drunken altercation at...

7 hours ago

EirGrid puts spotlight on Donegal GAA volunteers

8 hours ago

Cowboys giddy up on the hills of...

9 hours ago

Emergency services attending incident on Letterkenny-Stranorlar road

10 hours ago
Advertisement
Advertisement

Donegal County Council

Facebook
Donegal County Council
Advertisement
Advertisement
Donegal Daily Jobs

Read More

  • News
  • Sport
  • Courts
  • Jobs
  • Sales & Services
  • Obituaries
  • Features
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Council News

Information

  • Contact Us
  • About
  • Advertise WIth Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions

Our Sites

Donegal Woman
Donegal Woman
Donegal Daily

© 2025 Donegal Daily. All rights reserved.
Website by owenod


Back To Top.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy