Behind the statistics are the people. Behind the people are the families.
A total of 174 people were killed on Irish roads last year. Among them Rian Sheridan, a young man from Renvyle in Co Galway, described by his family as a person "who brought joy and happiness" wherever he went.
Earlier this week, 32-year-old Shaun Curran of Middle Dore, an Bun Beag, Co Donegal was jailed for five years for dangerous driving causing the death of the 24-year-old dairy farmer in March last year.
His death has left behind a devastated and heartbroken family.
Our Midlands Correspondent Sinead Hussey attended the sentencing hearing at Roscommon Circuit Court.
Rian Sheridan was the youngest and only son of Finian and Maria, little brother of Ciara, Doireann and Aebhín and boyfriend of Áine Griffin. He had just completed his Agricultural Science degree in UCD and had started his first job as a dairy farm manager.
A gifted musician and football player, he was, in his mother Maria's words, "full of life and grabbed every opportunity life presented".
On 27 March 2024, as Rian was making his way back from football training, his life was tragically cut short. In a matter of seconds, his family's life changed forever.
The Scania tractor lorry driven by Shaun Curran, a haulier from Dobhair Láir, An Bun Beag in Co Donegal, had crossed to the wrong side of the road as a result of a tyre blow-out, causing him to lose control and collide head on, at speed, with Rian's car.
In the hours that followed, Rian's family and his partner Áine rushed to Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe, but the young man had died before his family could make it.
His mother said she is haunted by the fact that the family had no opportunity to say goodbye. During sleepless nights, she said, she imagines hearing her son scream and the absolute fear on his face.
In harrowing victim statements, Rian's family and his partner Áine built up a picture of a young man who brought joy and happiness everywhere he went.
From helping local fishermen on their trawlers, to working hard on the family farm, it was clear his tragic death was felt right across his local community.
"As a Dad I could not have asked for a better son," Finian Sheridan told Curran's sentencing hearing at Roscommon Circuit Court.
"He was obliging, generous, hard-working, his interest in other people opened many doors and I learned a lot from him," he said.
In their victim impact statements, Rian's three older sisters spoke about how much they loved their "little brother" and each of them outlined how their lives had been changed by his death.
"Rian was my little brother and he was my world," said Ciara.
Since his death last March, she said their "hearts have been shattered, the joy is gone and, in its place, crippling grief".
Doireann spoke of missing the simple things, his laugh, his stories about farming, hearing him play the accordion. She recalled her last phone call with her younger brother and how he had her in stitches
"That was the kind of person he was; he could make any day better," she said.
Aebhín said Rian was "one of the kindest, most positive people" she knew. She spoke about the exciting plans he had made and that it breaks her heart to think about the future "stolen from him".
For his partner Áine, who described Rian as her "morning, noon and night", the loss has also been deeply felt.
The pair met at the Fleadh Cheoil in Sligo in 2015, and they shared a love for music. She spoke about their plans to travel, before settling down and having a family.
She recalled the day of the crash and said she spoke to Rian on the phone, as she was in Dublin and he was on his way to football training at Kilbride GAA
She spoke of the panic she felt when she received an automatic SOS text from Rian's phone and she thought he had come across a crash, but she said when she tried to call him, there was no answer.
"That was the worst night of my life," she said.
Defective tyre, tachograph misuse
During the sentencing hearing details were heard about Shaun Curran and how he had driven 814km on the day of the crash.
When the collision occurred, he had been driving for over 15 hours. He had not taken proper breaks and had four speeding infringements, including one just before the fatal crash, when his truck was recorded travelling at 93km/h.
Curran also misused the tachograph to evade his regulated driving hours and when the crash happened, another person’s tachograph card was being used.
On this point, Judge Kenneth Connolly said the use of another driver’s tachograph card was particularly aggravating because it showed a "pre-determined and pre-meditated express plan to flout road traffic law".
Evidence was given around the state of the defective tyre which blew out causing Curran to lose control of the truck.
A forensic collision report found the tyre had lacerations, significant blistering and burn marks on it.
The tread depths were low, and, in some places, there was no tread at all. CCTV footage also showed that Curran had checked the tyre twice on the day of the collision. On one occasion he was seen removing his gloves to get a better feel for the tyre.
Further technical reports also said that excessive wear on the tyre would have been evident because the steering would have been out of alignment and this would have been noticeable to the driver as it would have caused irregular vibrating to the steering wheel.
In his ruling, Judge Connolly said the court found it "repugnant" that Curran to this day was maintaining that he had been unaware the tyre was in a dangerously defective and unroadworthy condition.
He said Mr Sheridan’s death was "completely avoidable" and the actions of the accused had demonstrated a disregard for the safety of road users.
He imposed a headline sentence of seven years but took mitigating factors into account, including an early guilty plea, a good work history and personal circumstances.
The court was told that Curran who had a "fledgling business" with three trucks on the road, all of which he had been repaying loans for, had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
He had alerted gardaí to dashcam footage from the truck and had made admissions around the misuse of the tachograph.
He expressed remorse about what had happened, and an apology was read to the court.
In it, Curran said he knows there is nothing he can say or do that can bring Rian back, and he takes full responsibility for what happened.
Judge Connolly said it was clear there was "some genuine remorse evident" and no criminal intent.
"This loss of life is something that will also remain with him for his lifetime, but his future actions may, perhaps, lessen his burden. This, again, is his choice," the judge said.
Judge Connolly noted however that this is something he refused to call an accident, given the elements of inevitability for something most awful to occur, as a result of deliberate choices and decisions of the accused.
The judge reduced the headline sentence to five years and suspended the final 12 months. He also disqualified Curran from driving for seven years.
Family say they are paying the 'ultimate price’
After sentencing on Tuesday, Maria Sheridan said her family are paying the "ultimate price" for the truck driver's actions.
She said had Curran, the owner and driver of the truck, followed safe driving behaviour and acted responsibly as a road user, Rian would still be alive.
Maria said professional commercial truck drivers have a "heightened responsibility to every other road user and pedestrian when they get behind the wheel of a truck.
"These vehicles are capable of causing a higher level of harm should a collision occur whilst at the same time they are better protected given the height of the cab and the structure of the vehicle," she said.
"Sentencing must send a stronger message to deter those drivers who break the law, that there is a high price to pay for their actions.
"It will never bring our son back. We are paying the ultimate price for Shaun Curran's dangerous driving," she said.
RTÉ News asked the Irish Road Haulage Association for a response.
It said that the Association "represents approximately 80% of licenced road hauliers in Ireland"
"Road safety is a key concern for our organisation, as can be seen from our recent road safety media campaigns.
"We are adamant that all Hauliers must abide by the law and rules of the road.
"Hauliers are subjected to rigorous roadworthiness standards, and the vast majority of hauliers are compliant with those standards and are law abiding businesses".
