Ireland’s premier, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, has expressed shock and sadness at a fatal head-on crash involving a stolen vehicle on the M9 in Kildare, which resulted in the deaths of five teenagers and left four others seriously injured. The crash occurred when a stolen BMW, being driven the wrong way down the motorway, collided with a family’s car heading to Dublin Airport.
Mr Martin described the incident as an ‘irresponsible and dangerous act’ and emphasized that there can be ‘no tolerance’ for reckless driving, which in some cases is done for social media likes. He also expressed his thoughts and prayers for the families affected and wished the injured a full recovery.
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) stated that its members were ‘all in shock’ after the horrific incident. GRA vice-president John Joe O’Connell explained that the BMW had earlier failed to stop for gardaí and that an instruction was given not to engage with the vehicle as it traveled the wrong way down the M9. He added that this was standard procedure, but acknowledged that the members in the cars have to make split-second decisions.
Mr O’Connell also highlighted the issue of ‘numerous gangs’ of boys and young men trying to outdo each other in social media videos depicting interactions with gardaí, pursuits, and wrong-way driving. He urged parents to talk to their sons about the potential consequences of getting into a stolen car ‘for the craic and the clicks.’
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the head-on collision as ‘horrific’ and warned that in some cases, vehicles are being driven on the wrong side of motorways for social media likes. The incident has left the local community in a state of sadness and disbelief, with a priest in Carlow describing the atmosphere as one of ‘hope’ for those who have been hurt.
A local school principal in Carlow said the town is ‘numb’ and that there is a huge range of emotions following the tragedy. The incident is the second appalling crash on Irish roads in a matter of days, resulting from the reckless driving of a car on the wrong side of the motorway.
