Car crash victim dies in hospital

A 41-year-old man who was seriously injured in a car accident in County Tyrone has died in hospital.

The car he was in - a blue Rover 214 - left the Carnteel Road, Dungannon, and hit a tree early on Sunday.

Police, who appealed for witnesses, said it is believed five other people were in the car at the time.

Earlier on Friday, it was revealed that 260 people had been killed in road accidents on both sides of the Irish border in the first six months of 2006.

The figure - a rise of 15 on the same period last year - breaks down as 200 deaths in the Republic and 60 in NI.

The AA's Public Affairs manager in Ireland, Conor Faughnan, said more needed to be done by the government and police to reduce road deaths.

"I think if we really wanted to persuade people to drive properly - and we're not dealing with robots we're dealing with human beings - the practical reality is that you have to enforce," he said.

"You can't enforce just by press releases and TV ads."