The Republic of Ireland’s police chief has warned about a social media craze involving people driving the wrong way along highways, following two head-on crashes near Dublin in recent weeks.
Justin Kelly, the head of the Irish police force, was speaking on Aug. 17 after five teenage boys were killed in a head-on crash on the M9, a freeway in County Kildare, just outside the Irish capital in the early hours of Aug. 16.
Three women and a child who were in the other car—which was traveling to Dublin Airport—survived but were hospitalized. Nine people were hurt earlier in August when eight youths hit a car while driving the wrong way on Dublin’s main ring road, police said.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin said he was shocked and saddened by Sunday’s incident.
Martin said it was the second such crash in Ireland in a matter of days caused by someone driving the wrong way along a motorway or dual carriageway.
“It is an irresponsible and dangerous act, and it is shocking that in some cases it is being done for likes on social media,” Martin said. “The lives of five teenagers have also been lost as a result. Every death on our roads brings untold grief to families and communities.”
In a statement emailed to The Epoch Times, Kelly said a family involved in the Aug. 16 incident was driving on the M9 when they were struck by a car traveling the wrong way.
“This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong-side of the motorway is,” he said.
“That, of course, should be self-evident, but what makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.”
Police confirmed that they had not been pursuing the car containing the boys at the time of the accident.
‘Challenging Situation’ for Police
Kelly said Irish police “are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents.”
John Joe O'Connell, the head of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), which represents Irish police officers, told Ireland’s state-run RTE radio it was standard practice for police to call off pursuits if a driver goes onto the wrong side of a motorway, due to the risk to other drivers.
RTE reported last year that about 60 teenagers, mostly under 18, were involved in the so-called Lucky Dip gang, which engaged in stealing cars in and around Dublin and driving them at high speed.
Reuters contributed to this report.
