Police 'told not to pursue' car driving wrong way down motorway as five teenagers die in crash
Following news that the car which was involved in a fatal collision in Ireland yesterday was likely stolen, many might be wondering why police weren't able to pursue the driver any further.
Five teenagers are confirmed to have lost their lives after driving the wrong way down the M9 motorway at Moone, Co Kildare in the early hours of Sunday morning (16 August).
The BMW they were driving, which is believed to have been stolen, collided with a Hyundai which was carrying a family heading to a holiday in Dublin, with all four passengers in that car, including a seven-year-old boy, now in a serious condition in hospital.
Garda Síochána, the national police and security service in Ireland, had tried to stop the car previously but were seemingly left powerless when it headed the wrong way down the motorway due to rules within the police force.
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Garda Representative Association vice-president John Joe O’Connell revealed some more details about that decision earlier today.
He said: “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.”
It was his understanding that an order was given not to pursue the car once it started travelling in the wrong direction, given the dangers that a car crash heading into oncoming motorway traffic could present.
"Damned if you do and damned if you don’t"
Asked 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.”
O’Connell said there were '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, as part of a disturbing ongoing trend.
“Our members are not going to follow down that route – we’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, that way.”
Meanwhile, commissioner Justin Kelly called the crash 'horrific' and also condemned the actions of anyone who has been driving the wrong way down roads, due to the obvious risks it can pose to both you and the other drivers on the road.
'Appalling' actions of wrong-way motorway drivers
He said: “My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9. These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.
“This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong side of the motorway is.
“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.
“As this particular incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman, I am constrained in what I can say in detail about this incident, but I know that Gardaí do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users. Gardaí are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents. As always, An Garda Síochána will fully cooperate with the Police Ombudsman investigation which I hope is completed as expeditiously as possible.
“My thoughts are also with all members of An Garda Síochána and the emergency services who had to deal with this awful incident this morning. Such incidents show the difficult work we ask our Gardaí to undertake every day to keep our communities safe.”
Police are still seeking more details about the crash, while DNA testing is likely to be necessary before the victims can be formerly identified.
Topics: Ireland
James Moorhouse