Gardaí were instructed not to pursue a stolen vehicle travelling in the wrong direction on a motorway prior to a fatal head-on collision, according to a representative organisation. Five teenagers, all passengers in one of the vehicles, lost their lives and four people were seriously injured in the crash on the M9 motorway in Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday morning. Among those seriously injured is a child.
GRA members 'in shock'
The Garda Representative Association (GRA) expressed that its members were "all in shock" following the "horrific incident". On Monday, GRA vice-president John Joe O'Connell stated: "This involved a stolen BMW that drove – trying to evade gardaí – drove the wrong way down the M9 and then a head-on collision occurred with this car of a family heading to Dublin Airport on holidays for a few days."
Mr O'Connell revealed that the BMW had previously failed to stop for gardaí and that he understood an order was given not to engage with the vehicle as it travelled the wrong way down the M9. When questioned if this was standard procedure, he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland radio programme: "It would be standard practice, and the command and control centre would be dictating what happens in a live environment – but the members in the cars have to make a split-second decision."
Social media 'gangs' and pursuit risks
Mr O'Connell mentioned there were "numerous gangs" of boys and young men "trying to outdo each other" in social media videos showcasing interactions with Gardaí, pursuits and wrong-way driving. "Our members are not going to follow down that route – we're damned if you do and damned if you don't, that way."
The representative from Kildare stated that the GRA did not "know what the exact answer is" to tackle the issue, but added: "There's not one member of An Garda Síochána trained in pursuit – never mind in dealing with cars going down the wrong way." Mr O'Connell highlighted that gardaí also face internal penalties, disciplinary action and potential criminal charges when they choose to engage in pursuits. He mentioned that garda vehicles have also been targeted by stolen cars.
Call for tougher sentences
Mr O'Connell emphasised the need to "look at the sentences" when these cases appear in court, criticising those involved in wrong-way driving as "playing Russian roulette with their lives and everyone else's lives". He encouraged parents to discuss with their sons the possible repercussions of getting into a stolen car "for the craic and the clicks".
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly has labelled the head-on collision between junctions 3 and 4 as "horrific" and cautioned that "in some cases" vehicles are being driven on the wrong side of motorways for social media likes. The previous weekend, nine individuals were injured in a head-on collision on the M50 in Dublin involving a car travelling in the wrong direction on the motorway.
