The Road Safety Authority have launched their World Remembrance Day for road traffic victims, taking place on Sunday, November 17th.

Laura Rice, daughter of Alan Rice who died in a road traffic collision in 2021, was one of the people at the RSA launch today.

She said at the launch today and on Sunday those who have lost loved ones on the roads will “share it”, adding that “you can see the pain in people's face, you know that look”.

Ms Rice told The Hard Shoulder the story of losing her father and the ensuing court dealings.

Firstly, she said the World Health Organisation have recommended that there should be a language change in relation to road deaths.

“The use of accident shows that there's no agency to anybody - nobody's held responsible,” she said.

“’Oops. I spilled my milk,’ - that's an accident.

“A collision or a crash, there is somebody that's driving a vehicle that's causing the collision, causing the incident to happen.”

"We'll never know"

Laura’s father Alan went out on his motorbike the day the 5k restrictions were lifted during the Covid-19 lockdown.

He met a friend in Bray and they drove up the coastline to Skerries.

On their way home, his friend got stuck behind him at a roundabout, so Mr Rice was going quite slowly to wait for him.

Terry Gaff was driving in the opposite direction and hit another car slightly.

Distracted, Mr Gaff veered onto the other side of the road, hit and killed Mr Rice.

Mr Rice was thrown from his motorbike and landed on a grassy verge.

“[Mr Gaff] never made a statement, so we’ll never know his side of the story,” Ms Rice said.

“His friend came around the corner and had to work on him and the man who killed him also did try to work on him.

“Then we get the knock on the door from another friend of Dad's telling us that Dad had been in a collision and it wasn't looking good, and all the details of that and everything.”

"He died with his friend"

The family didn’t know the details of her father’s injuries for two years, Ms Rice said.

“We were told he died instantly, and about two years later, during when the book of evidence was served, we were allowed to have a quick glimpse of the book of evidence, and I read some of the report very quickly… and while he was knocked out he died with his friend,” she said.

“I hope within half an hour that or so, I'm not quite sure.

“We still haven't been given [the book of evidence], we still haven't had inquest or coroner’s report or anything like that.”

Laura Rice holding a picture of her father, Alan Rice. 12/11/2024 Image: Keith Arkins

Ms Rice said for the family it has been “a really long three and a half years”.

Mr Gaff pleaded guilty in April for careless driving causing death, three years after Mr Rice died.

“We had been into court at least 16 times at that stage and sitting on a bench beside him,” Ms Rice said.

“Dad wasn't really mentioned - it's not about Dad, it's not about the family.

“I just found it heartbreaking that we had to live in a world without him with very little repercussion for the man.

“He had €1,000 and a two year suspended sentence, but he was able to get back in his car that day that he killed my dad as he was innocent until proven guilty, and then he never got any disqualification from the road.”

Helping the experience

Ms Rice said mandatory sentencing, further details and family seating would have made their experience a little bit less difficult.

Mr Gaff was not disqualified from driving because he “had to work”.

“There is mandatory sentencing, you are supposed to be disqualified from the road… that should have been enforced,” Ms Rice said.

“Having a place where a family can sit in a court, it's not just for road deaths, there's victims of all crimes.

“We shouldn't be sitting beside people.

“Being told what happened to your loved one immediately, all the details - why are you hiding details from a family? Why can't we find out until this book of evidence comes out?

“We should know what his injuries were, who was involved in that day?”

"It's really not worth that"

Ms Rice encouraged people to slow down and think about what they are doing when around cars or in cars.

“I was one of those people only four years ago, thinking, ‘This sort of thing doesn't happen to me’, and you really think that.

“But actually, it could happen to you or your daughter, your son, your mother, your father, your brother, or you could be the one going along and getting annoyed with someone in traffic with road rage or running a red light because you're in a rush.

“You're not going to get home that quick if you kill someone or you're dead - it's really not worth that.”

Listen back here:

Laura Rice holding a picture of her father Alan Rice at the launch of the RSA's World Remembrance Day 2024. 12/11/2024 Image: Keith Arkins