Terry Brennan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to steal Senator Mary Moran's thunder this afternoon but I want to congratulate Dundalk FC on winning the double, the FAI cup and league, on Sunday, the first time in 27 years. I congratulate all concerned.

Since statistics began, 38,500 people have been killed on our roads, of which 23,700 were in the Republic and 14,700 in Northern Ireland. These are alarming and frightening statistics. On Sunday next, people from both North and South will come together to remember all the lives lost on the roads of this entire island.Thankfully, many lives have been saved and injuries prevented as a result of the collaborative work of road safety agencies on both sides of the Border in recent years. It is fitting, therefore, that we come together on World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims to remember those who tragically died on the roads and think of their families. Many generations and thousands of families, including my own, have been devastated by the grief of loss and the heartache of road tragedies. We must all play our part to do everything possible to prevent this loss and suffering from touching more lives. We all have a responsibility to make the roads safer. In addition to those to those who lost their lives, thousands more have suffered serious, life changing injuries. The world day of remembrance will remind us of how easily tragedy can happen but by making small changes to our own behaviour on the roads, we can all help to prevent future tragedies. The number of people killed on the roads since statistics began is the equivalent of the population of Drogheda or Dundalk, which is alarming.