Emergency services in Kerry have joined forces to raise awareness around the dangers on our roads, in water and with fire.
'Amber Thursday' will take place tomorrow and is an inter-agency initiative to promote fire, road and water safety ahead of the August bank holiday weekend.
It comes as this weekend is traditionally a busy time with people travelling, undertaking water activities and having barbeques or campfires.
The colour amber signifies a hazard or warning and officials say there’ll be a heavy focus on road safety tomorrow for ‘Amber Thursday’, and over the bank holiday weekend.
This follows another tragic weekend on the roads last week, which saw multiple people lose their lives.
Kerry County Council’s road safety officer Declan Keogh says every person who uses the road needs to be aware of the risks all around them.
He says while one person might be doing everything safe and correct, the actions of another road user could change all of that in an instant.
The council is appealing to motorists to always drive safe and sober, drive within the speed limits and for everyone to wear a seatbelt; the council says motorists also need to look out for vulnerable road users and take breaks on long journeys to avoid driver fatigue.
Garda Inspector Gary Carroll from the roads policing unit at Castleisland says the August bank holiday weekend historically is one of the busiest weekends of the year and Gardaí will be working to ensure everyone stays safe.
Meanwhile, lifeguards will be on duty and swimmers are being reminded to swim within their depth, not to use inflatable toys on open water and to always swim at a lifeguarded beach as swimming in lakes and rivers is proven to be particularly high risk.
People are also being reminded to not light fires in or near forests, recreational areas or other amenities.
