Aghadowey mourns latest road victim
Thursday, 21 August 2008
Investigators at the scene of the fatal accident on the Curragh Road in Coleraine on Monday between a car and a van.
A 22-year-old male killed on the Curragh Road in Coleraine on Monday has been named as Christopher Michael Horton from Aghadowey.
Mr Horton, the second road death victim in Coleraine in under a week, was killed when the car he was driving was in collision with a van. The driver of the van was taken to hospital but has since been discharged.
The accident occurred just three days after a motorcyclist was killed on the Ballyrashane Road.
The dead man was named as Mark Proctor from Derrykeighan. His bike was in collision with a tractor around 8.25am on Friday
Mr Proctor was the 71st person to die on Ulster's roads this year - and the 12th motorcyclist.
Meanwhile, police promised to redouble efforts to tackle speeding and careless driving.
At Monday's quarterly meeting of Coleraine District Policing Partnership, Acting Chief Inspector John Wisener admitted his officers had failed to meet targets aimed at reducing road accidents.
Instead of bringing more people before the courts for careless and dangerous driving, the number of prosecutions actually fell by 20 per cent over the last three months.
“Whilst the target has not been met we will continue to mount operations aimed at these offenders," said Chief Inspector Wisener.
DPP member James McClure said the targets were "very important" considering the two fatalities over the weekend.
Mayor of Coleraine, Cllr David Barbour said he was distressed by the accidents over the weekend and extended "deepest sympathies" to the families of the two dead men.
“This is a terrible tragedy and I want to give my sincere condolences to the families of the men killed and the injured parties.
“I have been driving for a long time and I have noticed a great increase in speed in recent years, couple with very powerful vehicles," he continued.
“Something like this give us another reminder to be more careful. Every death means an empty chair in somebody's home," added cllr Barbour.
