Donegal set to lose status as one of the three most dangerous counties for road users

Donegal may be set to lose its unenviable reputation as one of the country’s most dangerous counties for drivers, with the number of deaths so far this year just a third of last year’s total.
A comparitive study published by the Irish Independent today shows that based on last year’s Road Safety Authority statistics, Donegal was the third most dangerous county in the country in which to drive. However, that is set to change.
There were 19 deaths on the county’s roads in 2010, that’s 129 deaths per one million people, compared to a national average of 70. Only two counties had a higher proportion of fatalities, Roscommon with 154 deaths per million and Laois with 134.
This compares to Dublin with 17 death per million last year and Galway with 26.
However, Donegal’s average is set to plummet, with only 6 confirmed deaths on the county’s roads so far this year, the lowest ever total recorded in the county.
Last year’s total of 19 included the eight people killed in one tragedy in Inishowen. 2009 saw 14 deaths on Donegal’s roads, maintaining a downward trend since 29 died in the county in 2004.